Fragments of a Beautiful Life
by missblueeyes63
Summary: Little fragments of Sam's life that amid all his suffering and sacrifice create the mosaic of the Beauty of his Life. Each chapter will be a stand-alone look into his life at various points. Many of these stories will revolve around how others positively impacted Sam's life bringing light into his darkness.
1. Private Theo Brock Makes Sam Smile

**Fragments of a Beautiful Life**

* * *

 _ **Summary**_ _: Little fragments of Sam's life that amid all his suffering and sacrifice create the mosaic of the Beauty of his Life. Each chapter will be a stand-alone look into his life at various points. Many of these stories will revolve around how others positively impacted Sam's life bringing light into his darkness._

* * *

 **Private Theo Brock Makes Sam Smile**

* * *

 _ **Desert Base**_ _ **–**_ _ **Outside General Braddock Residence**_

Private Theo Brock walked with some apprehension as he got closer to General Braddock's home. He was unsure whether he should be doing this. Part of him had listened to all the gripes, complaints and sarcastic remarks about General Badass Braddock's volunteer request. So many of his unit mates and others thought the request was beneath them and many commented that they couldn't be paid to do something like that.

But the larger part of Theo ignored their callous words. In his heart, Theo felt it was the right thing to do. Sure it was not required and it would cut into his free time. But he had seen the little boy twice now on base and he looked so lonely. The General's son needed a friend, a playmate if you will.

Brock knew his unit mates would rib him or accuse him of sucking up, but he was a big guy and he could take it.

His hand knocked before he could change his mind.

* * *

 _ **General Braddock Residence – Study**_

General Braddock closed the file he was reviewing when he heard the knock at the door and Corporal Ramirez went to answer it. He was trying to work from his home office in the afternoons when possible so he could be visible and available if Samuel needed him.

Sadly his boy was still so closed off and stayed as far from him as possible.

The past year had been very tough on Samuel. His boy cried himself to sleep every single night. But if he tried to offer any form of comfort Samuel closed off more. The last time he tried to offer comfort, Samuel ran from him and hid in the corner of his closet. It broke his heart.

William wished that Yvonne could hold Samuel like she had always done before Sara's death. But Samuel rejected her too. That broke his heart too, to see the wounded look in Yvonne's eyes. She had tried to hide it but her green eyes were so expressive.

Having Samuel here was not the best solution but it was better than having him in Ottawa. He was so traumatized by Sara's death he would go catatonic at that intersection. There was no way to avoid that intersection either. They had to pass it on the way in and out from their home.

Mark, Erik and Ryan all offered to have Samuel live with them. But he, Yvonne and the counselors all felt Samuel needed at least one parent. Otherwise, it would lend credence to Samuel's belief that they did not love him and that they blamed him for Sara's death.

So here he was at a base that was not set up to handle children. And Samuel was paying the price yet again. There was no one his age to interact with. William could see his son was lonely. Given the area he could not allow him to leave the house unescorted either. So it was almost like his previously active little boy was under house arrest.

He so wished there was a tree house here that Samuel could play in. But it was just dry barren desert. The closest thing they had to a playground was the obstacle course. William chuckled at that. Someone would think him crazy for even comparing the ropes, barb wire crawl pit and such as a playground.

His musing was interrupted with a knock at his study door. General Braddock called out "Enter."

Private Brock was shown to the General's study and he came to attention once he entered and waited.

General Braddock looked at the Private standing in front of him at attention trying to visually assess the young man. After a moment he said "At ease Private."

Brock went to parade rest and swallowed the lump in his throat. He was actually standing in front of General Badass Braddock and he was scrutinizing him with hard assessing blue eyes. It was unnerving.

"What can I do for you Private?" General Braddock asked. He maintained a fairly open door policy but normally only his Special Forces soldiers came to him. The General recognized the Private from the new group of techs that arrived last week in the Ops Command. He had seen Brock in discussion with Tom Sutton on satellite positions.

Private Brock spoke and found his voice steady even though inside he was shaking "Sir, I am here about the volunteer opportunity you posted."

William looked at the young man differently now. That opportunity had been posted four weeks ago and no one had approached him "Why are you interested?" he asked candidly.

Brock answered "Sir I have a little brother at home. I miss spending time with him."

General Braddock asked "How old is your brother?"

Brock smiled "Davey is twelve."

William nodded "So you know what ten year old boys like to do?"

A smile lit Brock's face "Yeah. Davey loves to play lots of games. When he was ten, we used to run everywhere and I played tag with him for hours before he …" His voice trailed off as memory hit him.

Finding it again Brock's voice was not quite as bright "Before Davey was hit by the car and became a paraplegic. That was two years ago this June."

Then shaking himself out of his memory of that day Brock said "After that we adjusted. Davey couldn't run anymore but I still could. So I'd push him until he developed the strength to push himself. We still play lots of things like basketball, hockey, etc. The kid beats me in basketball from his chair no less."

William listened to Private Brock talk. He let him go on and on about his brother Davey and all the things he did with him. How it was hard to be separated from him.

He nearly gasped, only years of training kept him from doing so, when Private Brock explained how Davey was hit by the car. The Private was the one driving. He was running an errand for his mother to get his little brother a new basketball. When he was returning, his little brother ran out into the street without looking to try and get their sister's doll from a dog that grabbed it and ran.

General Braddock asked "How old are you?"

Brock answered "Eighteen, almost nineteen Sir."

"Why did you join the Army?" the General asked.

"I wanted to serve my country and to give back something for all the blessings in my life" Theo answered honestly.

William was intrigued. The Private had a hard two years from what he had just shared. He was partly the cause for his brother's injury, not that he should feel any guilt, but he was driving. So the General pried a little deeper "Blessings?"

Brock sighed slightly as an expression of peace and joy crossed his face "Yes Sir. I've been blessed with a wonderful family and parents who love me. Parents that helped me come to terms with what I did to Davey. They helped me see that it could have been so much worse. Davey is alive and healthy now. We had to make some adjustments but my family is whole and we will all help Davey make his way in the world without the use of his legs. So I feel blessed."

The General nodded and said "I need to make you aware of some things about my son before you decide to accept the volunteer position. Please take a seat. What I have to share is to be kept in the strictest confidence. If you decide not to volunteer to spend time with Samuel after what you hear I will understand. My son Samuel is emotionally fragile right now."

General Braddock went on to share what happened to Sara and Samuel.

* * *

 _ **General Braddock Residence – Family Room**_

Private Brock headed into the family room. What the General told him in confidence about his son was heartbreaking. It was something he would keep to himself. Once he heard it he knew he could make a difference in the boy's life; even if it was only a small one. He was glad he had come here today.

He stopped at the entrance of the family room and saw that had been set up with two desks in the corner to accommodate home schooling, one for Samuel and one for Corporal Duffy. He saw the blonde headed little boy, Samuel, curled up on a couch with a book in his hands. He headed over and sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Sam looked at the soldier that sat down on the General's table. He lowered his book and said "The General will not want you sitting on the table."

Brock shrugged and stayed in place "Hi I'm Private Theo Brock. But you can just call me Brock. What you reading Sam?"

Sam couldn't believe the soldier did not move and shrugged his shoulder. If the General saw him he would get dressed down big time. Sam got up and yanked on his arm "Get off. The General will be mad. I don't want you to get in trouble."

Brock stood up and said "Okay. So what are you reading?"

Sam looked down at his book and then up at the Private "The Fellowship of The Ring."

"Wow, me and my brother Davey love that one. How far along are you?" Brock questioned.

Sam shrugged and put the book down "Read it all several times. But it beats doing homework."

Brock grinned "Good then we can talk all about it on our run."

Sam's head whipped to Brock "Run?"

"Sure, bet you are tired of being cooped up in this house all the time. I'm now in charge of your physical training and we will be spending an hour or so together each day. Do you like climbing?" Brock asked already knowing the answer because he had queried the General on Sam's likes and dislikes.

The first tentative smile in over a year fleetingly crossed Sam's face "Yeah, I like climbing."

Brock grinned and tapped Sam's shoulder as he laughed and said "Tag you're it." Then he ran from the room towards the front door.

Sam took off running after Brock.

* * *

 _ **General Braddock Residence – Study Door**_

William watched Samuel run after Private Brock. The first real smile in over a year settled on his face. Private Brock was a blessing in their lives.

.

* * *

 _ **AN:** This little story would not let me sleep last night. Let me know what you think. I love hearing your thoughts and if you have any suggestions of other fragments please feel free to offer them up and I'll see if I can make them work._


	2. Sam's First Kiss

**Sam's First Kiss**

* * *

 _ **First Day of High School – First Period**_

With some trepidation Sam entered his honors math class. It was the first class of the day and it brought back unwanted memories of his other first day of high school in Ottawa. Everything happened because he talked to that girl that was in his math class.

Bella assured him it would be different here. Last week he had gone to the orientation session that was for new students. There were a few other new seniors but mostly it was freshmen.

At least he knew his way around the school and did not need to stop and look at a map to locate his next class. The tour of the school was the best part of the orientation for that reason alone. He blended in. He was just another kid. He was not the General's son here.

The other part of orientation that was good was that he got all his PE uniforms, locks and such sorted out beforehand. He knew when tryouts were for the different sports he wanted to try. He knew when the various clubs met and where too. He would not need to call Bella to arrange or sort anything out.

Sam walked to the back of the classroom and took a seat at a table with two chairs. He dropped his backpack and took out his advanced calculus book and his notebook and pencil. He was prepared for class. Sam sat at attention just like he always did.

He watched as the classroom filled up. He did not fit the mold of those in this room. His hair was long unlike most in this room. A smirk covered his face as the thought that the General would not be pleased with the length of his hair popped into his head. He went back to looking at those in this room.

The problem with being in all honors classes was that he never quite fit the mold. He was not a geek. He was also not a jock, a pothead, a preppy, a goth or anything else the teens grouped themselves into. Hell he didn't really know the lingo of a teenager. Sam knew he was unlike any of them. Maybe that made him a loner.

Sam's internal dialog stopped dead in its tracks. His eyes were riveted on the girl that had just walked in. She had a bounce to her step and her brown eyes were alight with laughter and intelligence. Her blonde hair cascaded half way down her back. She was short and was wearing the school's cheerleading uniform.

His jaw dropped open when she plopped down in the seat next to him. She was stunning. Sam felt his mouth go dry and could not form the word hi to save his life.

Charlotte Noble smiled at the blonde guy and said "Hi I'm Charlie."

Sam licked his dry lips and stammered "Charlie."

Charlie continued to smile "So your name is Charlie too. Amazing. What are the odds?"

Sam sorta of got his wits and said "No I'm Sam. Sam Braddock."

"Nice to meet you Sam Sam." Charlie teased. She knew the effect she had on boys. The she asked "So Sam Sam you are new aren't you?"

Sam nodded without correcting his name. Then he found his voice "Yeah just transferred for my last year."

She unzipped her backpack and pulled out her book, notebook and scientific calculator then said "You are probably gonna like Ms. Moon. She's hard, exacting and a stickler for showing your work but she is good. I had her last year too."

Sam almost groaned. He did not like showing his work. It slowed him down.

Charlie saw Sam did not have a calculator and she held up hers "You're gonna need one of these Sam Sam."

Sam finally corrected her "Name's just Sam. Not Sam Sam."

Charlie giggled "I know that silly. But I like Sam Sam. It suits you. I think you are one of a kind so you get a unique name."

It was Sam's turn to laugh. Charlie was surely friendly.

The class quieted down when the bell rang. Ms. Moon went through her first day spiel and then had everyone introduce themselves and when they did they were to tell two truths and a lie and the class would try to guess the lie.

When it got to Charlie she stood up and said "Hi My name is Charlotte Noble but everyone calls me Charlie. As you can see I'm on the varsity cheer squad. But I guess that shouldn't be one of the truths. Hmmm let's see now. Okay I love to go rock climbing, I'm good at target shooting and I've never been kissed."

The hands went up fast as everyone was absolutely sure they knew the lie. The first one to say something claimed 'I've never been kissed' as the lie. Most of the class nodded their heads. Another suggested it was rock climbing but and several agreed with him.

Sam looked at her hands and asked "Right to left handed?"

Charlie answered "Left."

Sam suggested the lie was 'I'm good at target shooting'. No one agreed with him.

It was put to a vote and the 'I've never been kissed' was decided by the vast majority as the lie.

Charlie smiled sweetly when the teacher asked her to reveal the lie. She turned to Sam and asked "Sam Sam how did you know I'm good at target shooting was the lie?"

Everyone's mouths dropped open for two reasons. One that the new guy was right but mostly that gorgeous Charlie had never been kissed.

Sam held up his left hand. There was a distinct callous on his index finger. Sam said "Your hand does not have a callous in the right place if you were good at target shooting. It takes many, many hours on the range to get good."

Charlie sat down and pulled Sam's hand to her. She traced his callous then smiled "I guess Sam Sam cannot use that he's terrible at target shooting as a lie."

The class laughed.

Ms. Moon said "Sam you're the last one. Two truths and a lie."

Sam saw this as his opportunity to let the teacher know he did not need to write out all his calculations and avoid being accused of cheating on tests. He stood and said "I'm Sam Braddock. I grew up in a desert. I was on a team that placed first in the Frostbite 45 Marathon in Yellowknife last winter. I can do all my math calculations in my head."

There were snorts and laughter at that last one. One boy said "The last one definitely is the lie. Come on, no one can do that." Most the class agreed.

One girl looked at him with dreamy eyes but said "You would have been in school during the Frostbite 45. Besides that is for adults and come on first place? That one is surely the lie." A few agreed.

After a little more discussion from the class it was put to a vote and the doing math in his head was selected as the lie.

Ms. Moon asked "So which one is the lie?"

Sam blushed a bit "The Frostbite 45. My team only came in third not first."

Ms. Moon looked at him closely "So you are saying that you can actually do all your calculations in your head?"

"Yes Ma'am" Sam answered.

The boy that first said it was the lie said "Prove it."

Sam responded "Give me a problem to solve."

Ms. Moon went to the board and wrote out a simple problem. Sam looked at it for a moment and quickly answered.

Another boy said "That one was too simple. I could do that one in my head. Ms. Moon give him a harder one."

The teacher picked up her book and wrote out an extremely complex problem on the whiteboard. Sam again looked at it. He took longer as he mentally worked through the calculations. Then he gave the answer.

The boy that had questioned him was doing the calculations on his scientific calculator and then looked at his teacher "Wow. That's right."

Ms. Moon was staring at the answer in her teacher's version of the book and slowly shaking her head. She finally looked at Sam and said "Yes that is correct. How do you do that?"

Sam shrugged "Don't really know. Maybe because I dislike writing out problems or because I had to learn some math early on when I was learning to shoot and I had to do it in my head. No time to write stuff down if you want to be able to shoot fast and accurately."

Ms. Moon asked "How early on?"

"I was six when I started learning to shoot a rifle. You have to factor in drop, wind speed and several other things" Sam answered.

Sitting down Sam was surprised he had shared so much. It was weird how he opened up in this classroom. But then Sam turned to Charlie and thought that perhaps she was the reason why. Charlie was so different from anyone he had ever met before. He liked her.

Ms. Moon said "Okay class that was fun getting to know each of you a bit. Now let's get down to today's lesson. It may be the first day of school but this is an honors class and I'm gonna push each of you to stretch your knowledge. If at any time you feel the material or lessons are too slow for you I will be happy to individualize your study plans to challenge you. This is your education. Push yourselves to the limits."

Charlie leaned in close to Sam. She wanted to touch that bicep but she refrained and whispered "Hey Sam Sam, want to be study partners? I like math but that problem you did would have taken me five minutes with the calculator. I could use your help."

Sam gave Charlie a lopsided smile "Sure."

Smiling Charlie turned back to watching the teacher but her thoughts were not on math at the moment. She liked Sam already. Not only was he the hottest looking guy at this school he was no dumb jock. He had brains and brawn based on what she saw.

He also had one of the nicest smiles she ever saw. When he smiled it lit up his blue eyes. Charlie wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He probably kissed lots of girls.

Sam tuned out the teacher as he thought about Charlie. How could someone as bright and bubbly and outgoing as her never have been kissed? He stole a glance at Charlie and her soft pink lips. Sam wondered what it would be like to kiss her.

* * *

 _ **First Day of High School – Lunch**_

Sam went to this next three classes and each was okay. But none of his other teachers did an introduction or ice breaker activity like his math teacher had. The students that sat next to him or around him basically ignored him. They were too busy catching up with their friends to pay attention to a new kid. Which was fine by Sam. He wanted to blend in and not make any waves.

He entered the cafeteria for fifth hour lunch. Again there were so many choices. But now he was not so much in awe of it. The time he spent with Wilson, Buzz and Dutch had loosened him up and exposed him to so many new things. In some respects it was like a whole new life and he could make of it what he wanted.

No longer was everything dictated, rigid and scheduled. It gave him a sense of freedom but it did not erase his wariness or the guilt he still carried. Sam looked at his choices and chose the Mexican food line. He ordered and used his student id to pay for it. Then he turned to head outside.

Large crowds still made him nervous and he felt several eyes on him. But today was different than last time. Today was the first day of school for everyone and he did not stick out like a sore thumb.

He was half way to the door when he heard "Sam Sam over here."

Sam turned and saw Charlie waving to him and pointing to her table. Sam headed over. He pulled on his friendly mask and hoped talking to Charlie would not end like the last time he talked to a girl at lunch.

Charlie smiled as Sam approached and said "Hey Sam Sam. Looks like we've got the same lunch."

Sam nodded "Yeah."

"Sit with us Sam Sam" Charlie said sitting down and patting the empty seat next to her.

She was happy to see Sam had the same lunch as her. As Sam sat down she turned to her group of friends and said "Everyone this is Sam. He's in my math class. He's new to the school." Then she looked at Sam and introduced her friends "This is Lacey, Beth, Cori and Gene. Over there is Ken, Jett and Peter."

Sam nodded to each one and said to everyone at once "Hi."

Peter looked at the fit guy and wondered if he did sports and said "Hi Sam. What year are you?"

"Need only three classes to graduate so I'm technically a senior" Sam answered.

Ken shook his head "Man that must suck transferring to a new high school for senior year. I bet you are missing your friends."

Sam shrugged "It's okay."

Lacey asked "So where do you hail from Sam?"

"My family lives in Ottawa" Sam answered.

Confused Lacey asked "If your family lives in Ottawa what are you doing in Toronto?"

Sam took a bite of his burrito and tried to think of a way to explain without telling them much of anything.

Charlie said "Lacey quit with the twenty questions. Sam Sam just met you. He may not want to tell you his life story."

Then she turned to Sam and said "Lacey is on the newspaper and she has a habit of interviewing _everyone_."

Lacey laughed and said "Sorry true. Bad habit."

Peter asked "You planning on going out for any sports. We have an okay Rugby team. Our hockey team is pretty good."

Sam nodded and said "Thought I might try out for Rugby. It's a fun game. Maybe track too."

Peter perked up "We need some strong players on the Rugby team. Did you play at your last school?"

"No. I've never been on any sports teams. I was home schooled mostly" Sam shared.

Jett finally entered the conversation "I've been on the track team for three years. I'm a sprinter mostly. We could use some fresh blood. What were you thinking of going out for? Sprints, hurdles, pole vault?"

Charlie smiled and said "Hence his nickname Jett. He's pretty fast. Nearly took first place at divisionals last year. Was beat out by a second."

Jett groaned "Don't remind me Charlie."

"Sorry Jett" Charlie said but then added "You're sure to win this year though."

Jett said sarcastically "Because last year's winner graduated."

Charlie cocked her head "Noooo silly. You will win because you want it so badly you can taste it and you have been training all summer."

Jett shrugged but smiled. Jett thought Charlie was always so supportive of everyone. She had a sunny disposition that drew people to her like flies. She was a good friend to everyone. He wished that he could date her. But her father was a preacher and did not allow Charlie to date. He had tried talking to her father but that had not worked so he decided that friends is what it would have to be for now.

He turned to Sam and asked "So which events?"

Sam finished his burrito and answered "Cross-country. I like long distance runs better than sprints."

Charlie's smile brightened as she said "I do cross-country too. Maybe I could show you some routes. I love the one through the park near the lake. Oh and then there is the one that goes through the woods."

"That would be good. But Wilson and I run in the park near the lake sometimes" Sam answered.

Cori couldn't keep her eyes on anyone but Sam. He was so cute. She loved his long blonde hair that kept falling into his eyes. And those eyes; man they were so blue. She noticed that Lacey and Beth were also eyeing him. She wondered if any of them had a chance with Sam. She wondered what his type was or if he even had a type.

She asked "Who is Wilson?"

Sam answered "Bella's security man and my friend."

Beth asked "Who is Bella?"

So they had gotten back to this Sam thought. He answered vaguely "I live with Bella. I have since I came to Toronto just after my sixteenth birthday last February."

Lacey asked "So you don't live with your family?"

Sam simply answered "No."

Everyone was a little curious but Charlie shut everyone down by saying "Enough badgering Sam Sam."

Gene laughed "Why do you keep calling him Sam Sam, Charlie?"

"I like it" Charlie said with a huge smile.

The group then all talked about school events and shared their schedules. Sam found out he had PE and weights with Jett and Peter and Honors English Literature with Charlie and Lacey.

When the bell rung Sam was feeling pretty good. He had made some acquaintances. They all seemed nice and it helped that Charlie had introduced him. Sam was really starting to like Charlie a lot. He was glad that he had two classes with her and she shared a love of long distance running.

Things were looking up. This year might actually be fun.

* * *

 _ **One Month Later – Charlie's Home**_

Sam sat at the kitchen table with Charlie as they worked on their math and English homework together. For the past month they met at Charlie's house after school on Mondays and Wednesdays to study under the supervision of her mother. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they went running with her father and brother. On Saturdays they usually met in the park and ran with Wilson and her father.

He learned why Charlie had never been kissed. Her father was very protective of Charlie and her younger sister Alexandra and they were never left unsupervised with boys. Her father was a pastor and wanted Charlie and Alex to focus on things other than boys. She was not allowed to date and wore a purity ring.

That was okay with Sam for now. He was enjoying being friends. Charlie was the first real friend he had his age. She was petite, outgoing, full of life and liked to do the things he like to do.

Sam turned to Charlie as he finished his last math problem and asked "Wilson is going to take me rock climbing in three weeks on a Saturday. I was wondering if you might like to come?"

Charlie put down her pencil and grabbed her lemonade. She took a long drink then answered "I'd love too. But I have to get permission from my parents. Is it going to be just you and Wilson?"

"No. His friends will be on a short leave and are coming to visit for a few days. Buzz and Dutch are great guys. Last summer they taught me so much. I had a blast with them and Wilson" Sam answered.

Biting her bottom lip Charlie said "Dad's probably gonna say no."

"Maybe Brad could come with us too. Does your brother like to rock climb?" Sam suggested and asked. Although he ran with Brad and her dad they rarely talked on the runs. He and Charlie were usually talking and they did not butt in.

"Sort of. He's not so good at it. I think he feels kinda embarrassed that his sister is better at it then him" Charlie answered.

Sam grinned "Perfect. Dutch and Buzz are Special Forces. They could show Brad a thing or two then he could improve."

Charlie asked "How do you know Special Forces guys?"

"Wilson was Special Forces a long time ago. Dutch and Buzz were two of his rookies when he commanded a unit" Sam responded.

She laid a hand on his and asked "You don't have to tell me but I've been wondering why you don't live with your parents and sister Natalie. Tell me to butt out if you want."

Sam's grin dimmed and he said "It's complicated. I lived with my Mom and sisters in Ottawa until I was nine. Then I went to live with the General at a desert base until I was sixteen."

Confused Charlie asked "So your parents are divorced. And you said sisters not sister."

Sam raked his hands through his long hair. Sam was never quite sure why but he always opened up a little bit when Charlie asked him things. Never completely open but just enough to share some parts of his life.

He answered "No not divorced. Just the General was away a lot. Still is. I had another sister, Sara, she died when I was nine and she was seven."

Sam could not bring himself to reveal to Charlie that he killed his sister by not protecting her. That his parents blamed him for her death and no longer loved him and that his Mom sent him away because she could not stand to see him. Or at least that is what he came to believe was the reason he was sent to the desert base. His mind could not think of another reason she sent him to live with the General and only visited every so often.

"And that is when you went to live with your father?" Charlie asked trying to make sense of it. It still weirded her out that Sam called his dad the General.

Sam nodded "Yeah, I'm not sure why. But within a month or so of Sara's death I found myself at a desert base. That's why I was home schooled. The base was not really set up to handle kids."

Charlie thought that was so sad. Her father being a pastor she had seen the devastation that could happen to families when little kids died. Sometimes families were ripped apart. That's what it appeared to her had happened to Sam's family. She wanted to know more but decided not to push seeing how sad it was making Sam. She liked his smile too much to want him to be sad.

Instead she said "I'll ask my dad tonight at dinner if I can go. Are you sure it would be okay with Wilson if Brad came?"

The smile returned to Sam's face "Yeah I'm sure."

"I'll let you know at school tomorrow then. How about we get a jump on that English Lit assignment?" Charlie said.

They delved into the English Literature assignment and were laughing and joking around as they worked through it. They always had a lot of fun while they did their homework.

Mrs. Noble watched as she chopped vegetables for the stew. She liked Sam Braddock. He was so different from other boys. He was smart and athletic and very respectful. She could see why Charlie was attracted to him. Sam was the first boy she was truly interested in since Jett a few years back.

Perhaps it was time to talk to Phillip and see about allowing a little more leeway with Charlie. She trusted Charlie to make the right choices. That girl had her head on straight. Maybe Phillip could see his way to allowing an occasional unsupervised run, perhaps a movie or even allowing them to grab a burger together. A simple and small date.

* * *

 _ **Three Weeks Later – Rock Climbing**_

Sam and Charlie were the first two up the cliff. They set a fast pace. Wilson, Dutch and Buzz were instructing Brad on the proper techniques. So they were coming up rather slow.

That suited Sam just fine. He and Charlie stood and looked out at the view. Sam moved a little closer. The past three weeks his feelings for Charlie were growing. The urge to kiss her had grown to the point that if he didn't kiss her soon he was going to burst into flames.

Sam thought now, here, in this beautiful place of nature that it would be the best time to kiss Charlie.

Charlie liked that Sam moved closer. The urge to kiss him was driving her nuts. She did not want to be forward and was waiting for him to make the move. But she was wondering if he would ever make the move.

She and her mom talked about Sam and her feelings for him. Her mom said there was nothing wrong with kissing. That it could be fun. Just so long as she kept her head and did not take it further.

Her dad was softening towards Sam too. She could tell. On their runs he would hang back further and further giving them more privacy. She saw him talking with Wilson too on the Saturday runs.

Charlie overheard her mom suggesting to her dad that he should consider allowing her and Sam to date. She also overheard her dad tell her mom that General Braddock was a well-respected man who had raised a polite young man of good character. Her dad also liked that Sam knew what he wanted to do with his life at such a young age. Her dad was impressed that Sam already had a slot waiting for him at the police academy after he graduated high school.

She still couldn't believe that Sam was only sixteen and would be seventeen in four months. He was more than a year younger than her. Sam did not act like a sixteen year old. He acted much older. Charlie had first thought he was eighteen when they first met in math class. But age didn't so much matter to her. The person is what mattered.

Sam stretched and then allowed his arm to go around Charlie's shoulders. When he felt no resistance he pulled Charlie closer and said "It is so beautiful up here."

Charlie smiled and thought, finally. She moved in closer and put her arm around Sam's waist as she answered "Yes it is. I love the cool breeze."

Just then a gust of wind blew Charlie's long blonde hair into her face. Sam turned to Charlie and brushed it behind her ear for her. His fingers lingered on her face.

Sam thought, now or never, as he allowed his fingers to trail down her cheek to her lips. They feathered lightly over her pink lips. The urge to kiss Charlie was overwhelming.

This would be his first kiss too. But he never told anyone that. He was nearly seventeen and a guy and he had never kissed a girl.

Not that he really had any opportunities to get to know a girl well enough to kiss her before now. But still he would be razzed if he told anyone. So he kept that little tidbit to himself.

His anticipation grew as his fingers lingered on her oh so kissable lips. The lips he dreamed about kissing for so many weeks.

Charlie sighed softly and her warm breath covered Sam's fingers. She tilted her head up and slightly parted her lips in anticipation of what she knew was coming. Her first kiss.

Sam looked into Charlie's beautiful brown eyes. His breath caught as he felt the warm breath on his fingers. It did things to his body. He tensed and relaxed at the same time.

The two were spellbound for some time gazing into each other's eyes.

Sam leaned down. His voice was raspy "Can I … can I kiss you?"

Charlie felt the excitement of butterflies and all warm and fuzzy at the same. Sam wanted to kiss her. She could not speak. Charlie moved upwards on her tippy toes and her lips were almost touching Sam's.

Sam took that for a yes and his lips connected softly with Charlie's as he pulled her close to him.

The kiss was tender and feathery soft, sending shivers of feelings through both of them.

Charlie felt weak in the knees as her heart thudded in her chest. She would have slowly floated to the ground if not for Sam's strong arms holding her up. The kiss was glorious. Everything a first kiss should be. It ended too soon for Charlie.

Sam felt himself losing control. His body was craving more and more. But this was Charlie. Charlie was special. Charlie was his first kiss.

He found control and pulled back even though he wanted more.

Charlie sighed and smiled dreamily as she looked into Sam's blue eyes "Ahhh my first kiss."

Sam gave Charlie his first ever WOW smile and said "My first kiss too. I'd like to kiss you again."

Charlie caressed Sam face then went on her tippy toes bring her lips closer "I'd like that."


	3. Scott Saves Halloween

**Scott Saves Halloween**

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Yvonne's Bedroom – 4:00 pm**_

Sam stood at the doorway of his mother's room and watched with concern. Mom was tired again. She was so tired the last week. He wished his dad could come home. But he could not.

He had done what he could to help Mom. He played with Sara every day when he got home from school. Sam hated playing Queen's tea party but that was what kept Sara quiet so Mom could rest. He would rather be playing pirates and climbing trees.

Sam waited as Aunt Ann helped his mom back into bed. It was only four pm but mom was so tired she barely made it up the stairs with Aunt Ann's help. He wished he was bigger so he could help her up the stairs.

Yvonne laid back on the bed and looked to Ann "Thank you."

Ann took Yvonne's hand "Hush sister. You do not need to thank me. I am happy to help. You rest now."

Yvonne saw five year old Sammy in the doorway. He looked so concerned. She hated worrying him. Yvonne beckoned him "Come here Sammy."

Sam came forward quickly "Mommy are you okay now?"

"Yes Sammy. I just need a little nap. Aunt Ann will be staying the night. Thank you for getting Sara to take a nap earilier" Yvonne said. Then she asked "Would you like to lay down with me for a little bit?"

Sam nodded. Yvonne patted the bed. Sam carefully crawled up and laid his head on his mommy's stomach. Her hand started to brush through his hair.

Yvonne smiled up at Ann. Ann smiled back at Yvonne. Both could see that Sammy was comforted by Yvonne's touch. He was only a little boy but he did so much to help with William gone constantly.

Ann asked "What would you like for dinner Sammy?"

Thinking about it Sam answered "Something quick. Cause Sara and I want to go trick or treating."

Yvonne looked at Ann with panicked eyes. Oh my gosh! She completely forgot it was Halloween. She had been so tired she did not even get the kids a costume. "Ann I didn't get to …"

Ann read Yvonne's panic. She said "I'll take care of it." Then to Sam she said "How about hot dogs."

Sam nodded. Then said "Mommy what are Sara and I going as? We didn't go shopping for costumes."

Ann quickly said "Why don't you go wake up Sara from her nap. We will figure something out."

Sam sat up "We don't have to go. Mommy's tired and she needs you here to take care of her."

Ann reached out and cupped his face "You are so sweet and kind hearted Sammy. How about if I call Scott? He's old enough now to take you and Sara around."

Grinning Sam nodded. He liked spending time with Scott. He hopped off the bed and bolted out of the room to go wake up Sara.

Going to Yvonne's nightstand she picked up the phone and dialed her house.

 _[Scott answered the phone when his dad asked him to "Braddock's residence."]_

"Hello sweetie."

 _["Hi mom. You want to talk to dad? He's busy trying to get Vicky to eat her dinner so she can go to her Halloween party" Scott responded.]_

Ann said "No I needed to speak to you. I need your help tonight. I know you had plans to hang out with your friends and I hate to ask but …"

She really hated to ask him. Scott had been talking about the party at his friend's house for weeks now. They had built a haunted house for all the neighborhood kids to go through and all his friends would be there.

 _[Scott cringed. That but … always meant it was something he really would not want to do. Before his mom could say anything he said "Aww mom, tonight I'm going to Liam's house. Remember?"]_

"I know sweetie. But this is important. I need to stay with your Aunt, she is not feeling well. Sam and Sara have no one to take them trick or treating. You know your auntie has been ill for a while now. I also need your help to figure out costumes for them" Ann explained.

 _[Scott dropped his head. He was not getting to hang out with all his friends. He was not going to scare kids in the haunted house either. He was really looking forward to doing that. He had a wooden saber sword with fake blood on it and everything. A little dejectedly Scott said "Okay mom."]_

Ann nodded to Yvonne and then said "Thank you sweetie. Now let me talk to your dad so I can ask him to drive you over here."

She heard Scott in the background tell his dad she wanted to talk to him. Ann told Erik what was up. He offered to take Sam and Sara to Vicky's party but Ann said that would not work because Sam would not enjoy going to a party with all girls dressed up as their favorite princess. Erik had laughed and agreed. They arranged that Scott would be dropped off at six thirty and he would stay the night too since tomorrow was Saturday.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Sam's Bedroom – Almost 6:30 pm**_

Sam laid on his bed and was crying. He didn't like to cry but he was upset.

Aunt Ann said they should find something to make a costume from around the house. So while Aunty Ann made dinner and took care of his mom he had worked on Sara's costume. It was easy but it took a long time.

Sara had a princess dress and wanted to be a fairy princess. So he twisted together lots of pipe cleaners, they were purple, pink and yellow and he made Sara a pair of fairy wings. It took him almost an hour to make them.

Then he found a stick outside. That took a long time because Sara didn't like five sticks he found. But then she liked the sixth one. He helped Sara wrap it up in some ribbons she used for her hair. That took another forty-five minutes because the ribbons kept coming undone and falling off. He finally got them to stay on and Sara now had a fairy princess wand. Her costume was done.

But then they had to eat dinner. He raced through it and then ran upstairs to his room to try and figure out a costume for himself. It was now almost six thirty and Scott would be here to take them trick or treating any minute.

The problem was that he spent all his time making Sara's costume he didn't have time to make one for himself. He had really wanted to be a pirate this year. But now he would have to walk around in just regular clothes.

Sam sniffled as he looked around. He couldn't figure anything out. He had nothing that would look like a good pirate. He had his stupid little plastic sword. It was all bent from when Sara sat on it. It wobbled and bent in half if he tried to make slashing moves with it. Stupid sword.

He buried his head in his pillow and cried. He didn't want his mom to hear. She was not feeling good. He would cry now and then suck it up and put on a smile.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Kitchen – 6:30 pm**_

Scott hugged his mom and then knelt down by three year old Sara. He smiled and said "My what a pretty fairy princess."

Sara smiled and her eyes danced "Sammy made my costume. See my wings." Sara turned to show off the pipe cleaner wings. Then she turned back and waved her wand "And he made my fairy wand too."

"They are very nice" Scott said. Then he stood up and asked "So mom is Sam ready?"

Ann looked at her thirteen year old son. She was so proud of him. He was sacrificing his own fun so that he could make his little cousin's happy. She said "After dinner he went to his room to get his costume. I'm not sure what he came up with. I was so busy with Yvonne and making dinner."

Scott nodded and asked "How is Aunt Yvonne?"

She tousled his hair "She is resting now. Why don't you go get Sammy so you three can trick or treat. Sara is young so she will be getting tired here soon."

Sara put her hands on her hips "I'm not tired."

Scott grinned "No you are not. Hang out down here and I'll be back in a moment with Sam and we can head out. Do you have a bag for your candy?"

Ann sighed "Oh I forgot. I'll get the kids a couple of pillow cases. Those should work nicely."

The two of them headed towards the stairs as Sara twirled around waving her fairy wand.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Outside Sam's Bedroom – 6:30 pm**_

Scott and his mom approached Sam's room together as he headed to Sam's room and she headed to the linen closet. They both stopped and listened.

Ann's face fell. Why was Sammy crying? She started for the bedroom door.

Scott whispered "Mom I've got it."

"Okay but I need you to tell me what it is about. He was so distraught earlier when Yvonne nearly fell coming up the stairs" Ann said.

She knew that Sammy idolized Scott and that he was more likely to talk to Scott about his feelings. They were connected almost like twins were even though they were eight years apart and had different parents. She saw in their relationship the same things she saw in hers and Yvonne's relationship. Twin things.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Sam's Bedroom – 6:30 pm**_

Scott opened the door quietly, walked in and closed it. He saw Sam with his face buried in the pillow. Scott heard the intermittent sobs interspersed with 'stupid sword' and 'wanted to be a pirate'.

He quickly deduced the problem seeing Sam in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He must have spent all his time making Sara's costume. He looked around Sam's room quickly. It was ship shape as always. Nothing out of place. That was a bit creepy for a five year old Scott thought.

But Sam's dad was a stickler for order. Sam learned very early how to make his bed and that he was expected to keep his room clean and orderly. It was not too different at his house but his room was nowhere this clean and orderly and he was thirteen.

Scott went to the toy box and opened it. He saw the 'stupid sword' Sam was lamenting about. He closed the toy box and went to the bed.

As he sat down he laid a gentle hand on Sam's back and said "Hey doppelganger what seems to be the problem?"

Sam rubbed his face on his pillow. He didn't even hear Scott come in. He sniffled and then sat up. "I don't have a costume."

"I can see how that would be upsetting. What did you want to be?" Scott asked.

Sam's lower lip quivered a bit "A pirate but I don't have anything that is pirate like and my stupid sword is all bent up."

Scott stood and went to Sam's closet. He looked a moment at the offerings. Then he opened each of his draws. Then he said "Wait here a second okay."

Sam nodded.

Scott left the room and headed to his aunt's bedroom.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Yvonne's Bedroom – 6:33 pm**_

Scott knocked lightly and when he heard his aunt say come in he opened the door "Hi aunty. I don't want to disturb you but I needed to ask you a question."

Yvonne smiled "You are not disturbing me Scott. What is your question?"

Scott said "Sam wants to be a pirate for Halloween. He spent all his time making Sara's costume. I wanted to ask if it was okay if I ruined one of Sam's t-shirts, if you or Uncle Will have any belts with large buckles and if I could grab Uncle Will's electric shaver. Oh, and if it is okay if I let Sam carry around my wooden sword that is covered in fake blood."

"Um, sure. What do you have in mind?" Yvonne asked at the list of things.

Grinning Scott said "You'll see."

Then he headed into their bathroom as Aunt Yvonne told him where he could find the electric shaver. Then he went to the closet and found one of Uncle Will's belts that would be perfect. Then he headed back to Sam's room. He made a stop in the regular bathroom and searched the cabinets until he found what he needed.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Sam's Bedroom – 6:35 pm**_

Scott found Sam sitting on the edge of the bed this time. His tears had dried. That was good. "Got what I needed. And permission so don't freak out okay."

Sam just nodded as he watched Scott grab one of his t-shirts. Sam's mouth gapped open when Scott ripped it. Then he took scissors and cut the sleeves so they were jagged. Next Scott dribble some iodine on the shirt staining it a sort of reddish color.

Scott was deep in thought as he worked on the shirt. He looked at Sam and said "You got some string and black construction paper?"

Sam nodded and went to his art supplies drawer. He pulled it out and put it on his table.

Scott set down the shirt a moment and grabbed the string. He unrolled it and wrapped it around Sam's head and then made it longer and snipped it off. He took a white crayon out of the box on the table and drew a shape of an eye patch. "Cut this out while I work on your shirt."

Carefully Sam used the scissors to cut the shape out that Scott had drawn. He did not follow the line exactly but it was close. "Done" Sam said and held up the black piece of paper.

Scott looked up from making the shirt dirty using crayons of brown, black and gray. "Good. Now poke a small hole on each side and thread the string through it."

Sam did as Scott instructed. He smiled when he realized it was a pirate eye patch.

"Okay put your oldest pair of jeans on and then put this shirt on" Scott said.

Quickly Sam complied. He looked in the mirror after he put on the shirt. It looked like he was filthy and had been in a terrible fight. He grinned as Scott tied the eye patch in place. Then Scott made him sit down on his desk chair.

"What ya gonna do with the Vaseline and dad's shaver?" Sam asked.

Scott opened the Vaseline and took out a small amount. He rubbed it all over Sam's jawline. Then he opened the electric shaver and dumped all the little pieces of Sam's dad's beard onto a paper towel. He said "Every pirate has to have a beard. Come lay you jaw on the paper towel."

When they were finished Sam had little bits of his dad's beard shavings plastered to his jaw. Sam looked in the mirror and a huge grin settled on his face.

Scott said "Okay now let's see if we can get this belt to fit around you. I think if I wrap it twice it will work."

"Why do I need a belt?" Sam asked.

"You'll see" Scott said as he put the belt on Sam. "Okay now wait here one more moment. I'll be right back with the best part."

Sam stood looking in the mirror while Scott raced out of his room. He looked at the clock and it was only six forty five. It had taken only fifteen minutes to make a pirate costume with Scott's help.

Scott entered the room with his hands behind his back. He said "Okay now give me your best pirate scowl. Cause you know pirates don't smile."

Sam scowled into the mirror trying to make it look fierce. As he was doing so a really cool pirate saber appeared in front of him. He looked at Scott in the mirror. His eyes were wide with wonder. He looked at the sword again. It was covered in fake blood. It was so cool.

He turned to Scott "For me?"

Scott grinned "For you doppelganger. Or should I call you Yellow Beard the fiercest pirate on the seven seas."

Sam took the sword and looked up at Scott "Thanks Scott."

"Let's go show your mom. Then we can head out. Pirates need to go a plundering" Scott said with a huge smile.

Sam hugged Scott and said "You're the bestest cuz."

Then Sam ran yelling excitedly "Mom, Mom, Scott made me into a pirate. He's letting me use his cool sword with blood on it. He called me Yellow Beard, the fiercest pirate on the seven seas."

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – Sam's Bedroom – 9:30 pm**_

Scott stood in the door way looking at his little cousin sleeping. Tonight was so different from what he had planned. He would never want it to be different than what it actually turned out to be.

He watched as Sam curled up on the bed in his pjs. Sam's hand was still wrapped around the wooden sword.

Sam was so happy tonight. Sara got tired after about ten houses so they brought her home. But then he and Sam went back out and plundered every single house in the neighborhood. Sam had gotten so much 'loot' as Sam called his candy that Scott had to carry the pillowcase because it was too heavy for Sam.

The hugs, smiles and laughter he had gotten from Sam more than made up for not hanging out with his friends.

Ann walked up beside Scott and put her arm around her son "I'm so proud of you Scott. You did something very nice tonight. You made a happy memory for Sam. You saved his Halloween."

Scott smiled "I made a happy memory for me too Mom."


	4. Open Minds & Kind Words Soothe the Pain

**Open Minds and Kind Words Soothe the Pain**

* * *

 _ **Setting:**_ _During Series: Occurs the Friday after season two episode Behind the Blue Line._

 _ **Companion Pieces:** Team One Guardian Angles: 8 - __Center Ice **and** Unacceptable Nap Locations: 11 - Bike Rack_

* * *

 _ **Sam's Apartment – Friday – 5:00 pm**_

Sam sat in his black swivel chair. The last week had been hell. Sure he put his bag back into the locker after the team put everything back in. He had even given them a small smile and gone with them for drinks at the Goose.

But that was all deflection.

He was in a real quandary. Out of everyone the team had dealt with in hot calls, Darren was the one guy he should have been able to connect with. Boss said he did. But did he really?

If he had connected he should have seen the suicide intent. Hell he struggled so long with survivor's guilt, that's what Dawn called it, after each and every one of the soldiers that had died in front of him. His guilt was deeper than that though. He should have been able to do something, anything to save them.

Unicorn was the worst. He had put the two of them in that small hole. That was his call to hide in that small underground cellar. It got Unicorn killed. It was almost like he held Unicorn under the water and drowned him with his own hands. That was not how it happened, Unicorn was trapped and he was saved by the unit. But that is how it felt.

For weeks he felt he was the one that should have died. Not the rookie Unicorn. Why was he alive and Unicorn dead?

It was a question Sam asked so many times for so many. Sara, his little sister, was dead because the car hit her and not him. He was mere inches away. Why her and not him? He would gladly switch places.

Then there was Gary, Ripsaw, Buzz, Dutch and Yankee to name a few of the unit guys. One other name popped into his head, Shy, and Sam pushed it away. Shy haunted his dreams lately.

Sam focused on the others. Why did Gary die in that blast and not him? Why could he not save Ripsaw, Buzz and Dutch? Why was he not captured with them? It hurt to recall how they died. So he pushed it down.

Yankee, Christ so many bullets and he was not hit in a critical location. He lived but Yankee died. Why? Hell, he even survived a direct artillery strike. How the hell that happened no one had any clue. He should have been dead by all accounts.

Shy's name pushed back into his conscious thoughts. Shy's death was too painful to think about right now. Sam tried again to push it down and lock it away.

But it wouldn't stay locked away. He and Shy had survived the corn field. Just the two of them left and everyone else slaughtered and hacked to pieces. As horrible as that was, Shy's death was worse.

Sam covered his ears. He could still hear Shy's screams in his head. Forcefully, Sam pushed that memory way, way down. It was one memory he could not bear to remember. It hurt too much. So he pretended it did not exist. It never happened.

He made his mind move on. After JTF2 there were few deaths. But Sam could not save Aaron and Lou. He failed both of them. He was too slow to save Aaron. And if he had only searched that basement more thoroughly, he might have found something to tell them that the sick eco-terrorist had planted landmines. He failed Lou that day. If he had been better, then Lou would still be alive.

On some level, Sam knew none of their deaths were the result of his hands directly. But they were dead nonetheless because he could not save them. He failed so many times.

A mirthless laugh emitted from his throat as he recalled Darren asking if he had a place he went to when everything got too much and he wanted to die. Sam had such a place. He would never tell the team his place though.

Matt's grave.

If he was going to kill himself it would be near Matt. All week he had fought the urge to pull the pearl handled colt out of the gun safe that Ed got him.

Sam could not wrap his head around the fact that Darren wanted him to be the one to kill him. Darren said 'it has to be you'. Why him? Why?

He was so tired of killing. He wanted to save people, close up. He thought he had a real connection with Darren and that he helped Darren. But no! Darren wanted suicide by cop. Suicide by SAM!

Sam dropped his head into his hands. He was so fucking FINE right now.

He was not sleeping again. But he had hidden that well from the team. He had taken to leaving earlier for work and stopping at Timmy's. He had Tia give him two extra shots of expresso in his normal iced capp. He downed it before arriving at the barn and then had another iced capp after workout when the team did a Timmy's run. He got Jules or Spike to stop for coffee while they were patrolling. And if they were in a hot call when he felt himself getting tired he popped a few caffeine pills.

Sam lifted his head when his phone rang. He was dreading today. Ed and the Sarge had asked him several times if he would be coming to the meetup with cops and military guys.

He would not be able to get out of it. Ed had become almost insistent. It was couched in words that made it sound like it was his choice. But he knew Ed was watching him closely. So was Sarge.

It was Ed calling now. Sam growled in frustration but then answered the phone using a non-emotional tone "Hey Ed."

[Ed had just finished dressing and Greg would be here shortly. They were carpooling tonight to the meeting. Greg suggested that he drive and that Ed call Sam to see if he could finagle Sam riding with them. Sam had been non-committal about going. He always answered 'I'll see' or 'Maybe'.

He measured his tone and said "Samo, Greg is on his way to pick me up for the meeting. Wanted to know if you would like a ride. It is on our way and would be no problem to swing by."]

Sam caught himself from sighing. Here it was. He had to make a decision. Did he go or did he possibly incur the wrath of Ed by saying no. Neither option felt like a winning option to him.

He had always coped on his own. He processed his thoughts and then sealed them away in his safe place where he put all his hurt and failures. That place was damned full now. But he could stuff some more into it if he had too.

Sam looked up and then at his desk. His eyes landed on the picture of him diving into the lake to save Clark. He and Ed had come a long way in understanding each other since they recuperated together and they had those all team counselling sessions at Wanderlust Lodge.

His eyes then landed on the picture of him and Matt.

 _Matt whispered gently "Sam go. It will be good for you. It will show you that you are not alone. And by the way, you are never alone and the unit used to help you deal with things when they got this bad. Trust Ed. Trust Sarge. Say yes."_

Sam blew out a breath and then answered Ed "I'll come but I don't need a ride. It's a cool autumn night and a bike ride sounds nice."

He said that for two reasons. One he could really use a bike ride to clear his head. And two, if he did not feel comfortable at the meeting he could just leave without having to call a taxi or explain to Ed or the Boss.

[Ed grinned, "Then we will see you there at six. They always have pizza and drinks. So all you need to do is show up. We will be there a little before six. You remember the location?"]

"Yeah, okay. See you then" Sam said and then hung up.

What did he just get himself into?

Sam stood up and shuffled to his room. He needed a shower and to dress. Going in just boxers would not be a good thing.

* * *

 _ **Ed's Home – Friday – 5:20 pm**_

Greg pulled up and got out of the car. He hoped that Ed had gotten ahold of Sam and that Sam agreed to go. He rang the door bell and Clark ushered him.

Closing the door Clark smiled and said "Dad will be down in a minute."

Greg grinned at Clark "How's things going Clark?"

Shrugging Clark said "Okay."

Ed bounded down the stairs "Sam's coming but he wanted to ride his bike. I told him we would be there a little before it started. So we need to get going now."

Then he turned to Clark and said "See ya kiddo. Have fun at the movies with the guys. Is mom still the one picking you all up?"

Clark nodded "Yeah, bye Dad."

Greg said "Nice seeing you Clark. Have fun."

Smiling Clark said as he closed the door "I intend too."

Then Clark headed into the kitchen to pop a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. Mom should be home in about an hour then she would pick up all his friends and drop them at the movie theater. Tonight should be loads of fun. Then tomorrow his dad had said they would play basketball. Clark was looking forward to spending time with Dad too.

* * *

 _ **Support Group Meeting – Friday – 6:00 pm**_

Sam had enjoyed the ride to the support group meeting. It was a long ride and he was feeling the effects of days with little sleep. But the wind had been cool and rides always helped him center himself and clear his mind. He had locked his bike in the bike rack out front then hesitated to enter.

He was still unsure about coming. But he had told Ed he would and he never broke a commitment. Sam took a deep breath and entered. As he stood just inside the door he looked around scanning the area for exits. Some habits never really stopped.

Ed tapped Greg's shoulder and smiled "He's here."

Greg turned and saw Sam across the room as he said "You sound surprised Eddie. He said he would be here. Sam never breaks a commitment."

Just before moving toward Sam, Ed nodded "Yeah, but there's always a first time for everything. He's been really struggling this week. All that extra caffeine. He thinks he was hiding the fact he is not sleeping from us."

Greg chuckled lightly "Spike switched out his caffeine pills to sugar pills today without Sam knowing. Perhaps he will sleep better tonight."

"Perhaps" Ed said.

As he headed for Sam, Ed thought that Sam really needed this group. He hoped it would help him. All week he saw the dark circles under Sam's eyes. They were reminiscent of when Sam first joined the team.

The whole team saw. Each of them had tried to draw Sam out in one way or another all week. Something was eating at Sam but he was not sharing with any of them.

Ed could sense it had started with the Godwin Coliseum call. As terrible as that day had been, Ed felt that there was something more going on with Sam.

Having come to these meeting for years Ed recognized the signs of a guy struggling with something he did not want to acknowledge. A few of the guys here looked like hell the first time they came. Much like Sam was looking right now.

Ed took a deep breath and then said pleasantly, making sure to keep his voice low "Hey Samo. Glad you could make it. Let me introduce you to a few of the guys while we grab some pizza and soda."

Sam nodded but remained silent. He went with Ed and was introduced to many of the guys. He did not feel out of place like he expected too. For some reason he felt safe and secure here. It was odd. That feeling never just happened. It took time to develop.

 _Matt smiled at all the guardian angels gathered. All had done their part to whisper to their charges and created an environment that Sam would find safe and secure. Matt was hoping tonight Sam would open up._

 _Sam needed to lance the infected wound. It had festered for far too many years. Sam needed to give voice to what happened with Shy. If Sam could, then that tear in his soul would begin to heal._

 _Matt whispered "Sammy you are safe here just like you were in the barracks with the unit. Open up. Release your pain. Begin the process of healing my brother."_

Greg smiled as he watched Sam interact with some of the guys. He was profiling Sam unabashedly. Greg was very worried about Sam. That same haunted look Sam had when he had first joined SRU had taken over Sam this past week. Sam was certainly dealing with something that was hurting him deeply.

Sam needed this group. This group had open minds and kind words that could help if Sam allowed them too. Greg hoped tonight Sam would talk. No one would push him. But Greg hoped Sam would. If Sam did, then they could maybe soothe the pain Greg saw reflected in Sam's eyes all week.

It was hard to witness. Most would miss the pain. Sam's masks and deflection worked to keep most people from noticing.

But he, Ed, Jules, Spike and Wordy all noticed. They had known Sam long enough and watched as he dealt with many painful things in the past. They all recognized Sam was hurting. They all wanted to help.

* * *

 _ **Support Group Meeting – Friday – 7:00 pm**_

Sam chose a seat, well actually he was guided to a seat by Sarge, which was between Ed and Sarge in the circle. They had eaten and socialized for the first hour. It was not a huge group of guys; fifteen in all including him, Sarge and Ed.

The feeling of security only grew as he talked to the group of guys. Sam was surprised that they were not all old. There were a few retired guys and a few younger guys like him. The others were more Ed's and Sarge's age. Some had both police and military experience and some just police or military. A one of the guys had been in the Sudan and two in Kandahar. Others had been in the field in Iraq.

Each of them had made Sam feel like he was welcome here. Sam watched as a retired police Sergeant named Kelly called the meeting to order.

For Sam's benefit Kelly explained "We are just guys here that have dealt with or are dealing with things that we have experienced. We offer support without condemnation or pity. There is no pressure to talk. We want everyone to feel safe to share so the only thing we ask is that you maintain any confidences that are shared within this room. We are here to support each other and listen with open minds and offer advice based on our experiences if wanted."

Turning to Sam he said "Welcome Sam. As I said there is no pressure to say anything. Some of the guys that come have never shared a thing but they keep coming because it helps them understand that they are not alone in dealing with difficult and painful experiences. Knowing you are not alone and someone is willing to listen if you want to share is half the battle."

Sam nodded in acknowledgment of the welcome and that he understood.

The meeting started and Sam just listened as several of the guys shared problems they were struggling with. He carefully watched the faces. He was looking for any signs of pity. He was assessing the guys. Sam heard only kind words and support when the troubles were shared and advice was requested.

He watched as Corporal Carles Padilla, who served in the Sudan, broke down into tears. Carles was in the regular Army and his unit had been taken by a group of rebels.

A Special Forces unit had been sent in to rescue them. Carles was dealing with feelings of guilt and plagued by nightmares because one of the men in the Special Forces unit was hurt badly saving him. The guy might lose his leg, it was all mangled, and Carles could not get the images out of his head.

As Sam watched one man hold Carles as he cried out his pain, Sam thought about images and guilt. Images haunted him this week. Guilt was his constant companion too.

Ed glanced at Sam. He could not tell if Sam felt comfortable here or not. He could read nothing in Sam's expression. It was like Sam closed himself off. Silently he said 'please Sam open up'.

Greg stole a quick look at Sam and saw that he was intently watching everything. Absolutely everything. Greg knew that was one skill Sam relied on; his ability to watch everything. That skill had saved the team many times. Sam would see the smallest details sometimes that the others either did not see or did not see as a threat. Greg could tell Sam was measuring the men in this group.

It was a good feeling. It meant that Sam was assessing whether or not it was safe. If he found it safe then Sam just might open up. Greg hoped that Sam found it safe.

The group took a break after Carles breakdown. All of them needed a moment to regroup. Greg and Ed deliberately did not engage Sam in conversation at the break. They moved off to speak with others. Neither wanted Sam to feel they were hovering over him.

Sam rose from his seat and headed to the restroom. He needed to pop a few caffeine pills because all they had here was decaf coffee. Sam would rather drink bilge water than decaf. He was so tired and the caffeine pills he took earlier did not seem to work as well as they did all week. He was so very tired tonight.

* * *

 _ **Support Group Meeting – Restroom – Friday – 8:30 pm**_

In the restroom, Sam pulled out the pills and popped them in then cupped his hands under the running water and took a drink. He was startled when Carles spoke. He had thought he was alone in the room.

Carles saw the new guy Sam pop some pills as he exited the bathroom stall. That worried him. He said "Pills are not the answer. They only work so long. Then they screw up the rest of your life. I know. Had a few friends go down that path."

Sam turned and withdrew the pill container "Just caffeine pills. Had a long shift, a long week. Need to be alert riding my bike home later. Can't stand decaf."

Carles smiled with relief "Right there with you on decaf. Who in their right mind drinks decaf? It is vile tasting, not even tons of cream and sugar make it drinkable. I should talk to Kelly and make sure we have regular coffee next time. Not sure what happened tonight, we usually have regular coffee too."

Sam grinned slightly.

Carles then broached something he wanted to ask "So you were in JTF2, right?"

Leaning back on the sink counter Sam nodded. His hands gripped the edge tightly.

"That Special Forces guy, the one whose leg was mangled … I don't get something. He was their sniper. Why would he run down to save me? He was safely away from the shit going down. But when I was hit and went down and could no longer run he showed up. He covered me. Why?" Carles asked.

Sam sucked in a long breath and blew it out slowly "I can't say exactly why he did it. But the Special Forces motto is Deeds not Words. His unit was sent in to rescue yours. They would not have left without getting every one of you out. If the others in the unit were fully engaged elsewhere then the overwatcher would move in. I know. I did it many times."

Nodding Carles said "I wish I knew his name. I'd really like to thank him for saving my life that day. I think it would help me if I could just thank him."

Sam said "Perhaps if you give me the date of the mission and location I can find out."

"You could do that? I thought all mission details were like classified or something" Carles stated.

Sam released his death grip on the counter and shrugged "I have connections."

"Really?" Carles voice questioned.

"My dad is General of Special Forces. He might be willing to give me the man's name if I tell him why I need it. Could I share with him why?" Sam asked.

Carles nodded and the first real smile he had in months crossed his face "Yeah. That would be great if you can pass me his name. I'd like to know how he is too. If he lost his leg he might need someone to talk too. A friendly ear willing to listen."

Heading for the door Sam said "I'll see what I can do Carles."

"Thanks Sam. I'm glad you came tonight" Carles responded and patted Sam on the back as they exited the restroom.

* * *

 _ **Support Group Meeting – Friday – 9:30 pm**_

They had resumed their seats as the meeting regrouped. A couple of other guys shared and sought advice. When the last man to share finished Kelly looked at his watch and said "We have time if anyone else wants to share."

 _Matt whispered to Sam "Open up buddy. Please. You can do this. You need to do this."_

Sam shifted in his seat and stole a quick glance at Ed and then Greg. Then he looked across at Carles. Carles had opened up and everyone had supported him.

As a result, Sam might be able to do something to help Carles too. His dad would surely pass him the name of the unit member or at least his status and pass a thank you note from Carles to the unit member if he could not name him.

Then Sam thought that he was many things but he was never a coward. Something was telling him to open up and that he would be safe here if he did. He did not need to fear looking weak here. Here they would understand.

Inhaling and holding it for a count of four Sam slowly exhaled then said "Nightmares. I've been having nightmares. I cannot sleep. Every time I fall asleep it is the same nightmare. I wake shaking and covered in sweat."

Ed reached out a hand and gently laid it on Sam's shoulder.

Sam turned to look at Ed. He did not see condemnation. He thought he saw pride. Sam turned to Sarge. He saw the soft caring eyes that also showed relief.

A half-chuckle came out as Sam said "You knew?"

Greg gave him a small smile and a slight nod.

Ed said "Kinda hard not to miss the dark circles under your eyes Samo. Do you want to tell us about your nightmare? It might help."

Sam recalled sharing his nightmare about drowning with Ed. He had helped then. A lot. The trust they developed when they recuperated together after Darby dock had been something Sam had relied on when they had to rescue Ben and Daphy months later. He had trusted Ed to keep him legal and from crossing the line that day. Not that he ever got a chance to say 'cats' based on how everything worked out that one hot summer day. But …

So Sam said in a soft undertone for only Ed's ears "Cats."

Ed grinned, "Yeah Sam cats. Let us help you. Talk to me again. I promise whatever it is you have to say you will see no pity."

Greg put his hand on Sam's other shoulder "Sam."

Sam turned to Greg.

Greg said "It's time to let it out. Is it related to Darren Kovacs?"

Sam dropped his head and his eyes closed as he softly said "No and yes. I get what Darren did. I don't like it but I get it. Darren was only the catalyst though. It unlocked memories I've been burying for a long time. Something that hurt too much to deal with, so I locked it away and ignored it. I pretended it never happened."

He opened his eyes and looked at Ed "But now it won't leave me alone. It haunts my dreams."

Ed quietly encouraged "What haunts you?"

Sam's voice cracked "Shy. His screams. His begging me to kill him."

Greg's eyes closed. Oh this was gonna be painful to hear. He just knew it.

Ed responded "I see. Darren wanting it to be you to kill him unleashed your memories of Shy. Was he a unit mate?"

"Yeah, something like that. Shy was Sarge of a unit I was temporarily assigned too. He was a good soldier. A good Sergeant and his men admired him. He took care of them. He took care of me. It was one unit Blaze never worried about me going with" Sam shared.

Carles asked "Who is Blaze?"

Looking across the circle at Carles, Sam answered "Blaze was my Sergeant for six years until I killed Matt and left JTF2 and joined SRU."

In a rare instance of openness and trust Sam shared with the group how he had killed Matt and the call with Darren and how it ended with Ed having to shoot Darren because he had lost perspective and put his team at risk because he could not see that Darren wanted suicide by cop.

Both Ed and Greg decided not to counter Sam's thoughts on the call. That was not what was bothering Sam right now. They both knew he needed to talk about Shy. Shy was the root of what was bothering Sam this week.

When Sam was done Ed quietly said "But that is not what is haunting you Sam. Tell me about Shy."

Sam looked at Ed.

Ed smiled and said "I'm starting to read you Samo. Deflection is not going to help you deal with this."

Greg added "If you give voice to it Sam, you will release the hold it has over you. Like lancing an infected wound and letting the pus drain out."

Sam had heard Matt say those words so many times to him. How did Greg know to say that?

 _Hasdiel looked to Matt and said "Thank you for the right words for Greg."_

 _Matt nodded "They always worked on Sam. He should talk now."_

Sam began to sniper breathe as he looked around the circle. No one was looking at him with pity; only openness and kindness. He registered that Ed was breathing in unison with him. It was almost like he was counting out the breaths for him like he did in the bank and in the hospital and several other times too.

He could do this. It was gonna hurt like hell but he could do this. He could let the memories of Shy's death see the light of day.

Sam started "My unit was down due to a few minor injuries. Shy's unit needed a long-range marksman, a sniper. His previous sniper had not reupped and a new one was not assigned yet. Shy's unit normally worked in the Sudan but we had loses in Kandahar so his unit was transferred there until replacement units could be brought up to speed."

"Shy asked for me personally to round out his team since my team was down. We were sent deep into insurgent territory, I cannot say where. But things went sideways and four of the unit were captured by insurgents. Three of the unit met quick, painless execution style deaths. They were forced to kneel and shot at point blank range in the back of the head. But Shy …"

"My spotter, Dragon, and I were still hidden in my sniper perch. We could see and hear everything. Dragon called it in and tried to get a rescue unit to us. We were so far in it would take over an hour for them to get to us."

Sam stopped as tears filled his eyes. He dropped his head and his voice broke "We watched, we heard. There was nothing we could do to rescue Shy. There were too many of them and we had orders to stay put. Dragon and I argued about whether to disregard the orders. I wanted to go in but Dragon was second in command of the unit and in charge."

Blowing out a breath Sam continued "Dragon was Shy's best friend after Yankee died. He said Shy would not want us to commit suicide by trying to rescue him. It would have been suicide too. There was no way we could kill all the insurgents."

Sam turned his head to Ed and wiped his eyes to clear them "I'm fast but not fast enough to take out forty insurgents before they would overrun our position."

Ed nodded "You do not have to justify to me Sam. The numbers were far against you. Dragon was right. If Shy took good care of his men as you say, then no, he would not want you to put yourself at risk to save him. Not with those odds Samo."

Sam sat up and looked around the room. He wasn't sure what he was looking for until he found it in their faces. Their faces held no recrimination that he didn't try to save Shy.

But his face screwed up in pain and tears dripped down a Shy's screams assaulted his ears and images flashed in his mind. Sam slammed his hands over his ears trying to quiet the screams. He rocked back and forth in the chair.

Ed and Greg shared a look. Neither of them wanted to startle Sam; that was always a bad idea. But they could see Sam was locked in a memory and needed their help to pull out of it.

Simultaneously both of them put their hands on Sam's back

Sam jerked back and upwards. His eyes scanned quickly and settled on Ed. Recognition flooded his mind. Ed, it was Ed. Slowly Sam turned to the other side and saw Greg.

Softly Greg asked "Sam what are you seeing and hearing? It looks very painful."

Sam pursed his lips together to keep from screaming along with Shy. That day he had bitten right through his lower lip to keep from screaming and giving away their position.

"Shy is screaming. They are torturing him. Cutting him deeply. They wanted information. Shy told them nothing. We survived the corn field but they were hacking Shy up little bits at a time just like the ones in the corn field had done" Sam's gravelly voice rasped out.

Ed sucked in a breath. He remembered the corn field. Sam told him about it when he demanded to know why Sam got angry at Spike for pushing him to go to a corn maze. He learned not to push certain things with Sam after hearing that. So did Spike.

Continuing to speak softly Greg asked "What are you doing?"

Sam sobbed out as tears ran down "Trying not to hear, not to see. Trying not to feel."

Carles rose from his seat and walked over. He knelt down in front of Sam and placed a hand on his knee "There is nothing you could have done to stop what was happening."

"You're wrong. I never miss. I never miss … never miss" Sam rasped out.

Ed knew they were missing something here. Then the recalled Sam's previous words 'begging me to kill him'. Quietly he asked "Why did Shy beg you to kill him?"

Images so horrible to witness flashed in Sam's head. He was too choked up to answer and he began to sweat and shake.

Ed reached out and drew Sam to him. He simply held him for a long moment as Sam shook and sobbed. Ed caught Greg's eye over Sam's head. They held a private conversation with only looks.

Greg's look said 'He needs to let it all out. You are doing good Ed.'

Ed's look said 'Sam is in so much pain. I'm worried about the pearl gripped colt'.

Greg shook his head no and his expression read 'No he is here. Sam wants help. He's here'. Then Greg reached out and put his hand on Sam's back offering comfort.

Sam cried as the images assaulted him again but with much less power. He was letting them out. As he let them out of the locked box he had kept them tightly locked and buried deeply in for so long they began to have less power over him.

But it still hurt. It hurt so badly.

Getting himself together a little bit Sam pulled out of Ed's arms.

Sam finally answered Ed in a voice racked with anguish "Shy screamed in pain as they hacked off his fingers one at a time, sliced off his ear and cut deeply into his chest, back and face. The rescue unit was about ten minutes out and we thought Shy would be saved if he could just hang on a bit longer. He would be maimed for life but he would survive."

Clenching his jaw as fresh agony crashed through him Sam could not stop the tears again. He swiped at them almost angrily. He shouted "Why? Why me? Why did he have to ask me?"

"Why you what?" Ed asked quietly seeing the rage brewing with the pain.

Sam pushed up to a standing position knocking the chair backwards he raged at Ed "Why did he beg me to kill him? Why not Dragon? Why me?"

Greg stood up and gently turned Sam to him. He could not answer Sam's question. But he needed to help Sam process this. So he asked "What made Shy beg you to kill him Sam? From what you say the torture when on for a while. What changed?"

Breathing fast and hard trying to control his rage. Rage that was truly directed at the insurgents and not Shy. Sam answered in a gritty tone "They poured gasoline on him. They lit a match …"

Shy's tortured screams begging, 'Blondie shoot me. For the love of God shoot me. Don't let me burn to death. Shoot me now Blondie. Please', ripped through Sam's mind and ears. They were followed by Shy's ungodly screams as he was set on fire and became a human torch. The images he saw in his scope as he sighted Shy and Shy looked directly at his position and fell to his knees assaulted him.

Sam dropped to the chair feeling emotionally spent. He covered his face with his hands as he said in a barely audible whisper as tears filled his red-rimmed eyes yet again "They set him on fire. Shy begged me for a mercy killing. The last thing he yelled to me was Blondie please, you never miss, it has to be you. I shot him. I killed him. Shy is dead because I never miss."

The room went absolutely still and quiet.

Greg swallowed a lump of emotions. Son of a bitch. Darren's five words 'it has to be you' triggered this memory. Something Sam had tried hard to forget.

Ed watched as Sam's shoulders shook as he cried quietly. Damn, something like that had to hurt so badly.

He said "Sam what you did … you helped him. You saved him from pain … you gave him a quick death instead of a long painful one. What he asked you to do was hard to do. But you did it. You helped Shy."

Carles sat on the floor. He could not imagine the emotional toll of pulling the trigger on a unit mate. What Shy asked of Sam was too much to ask of a man. The pain Sam was feeling must be enormous.

He didn't know if he could ever do what Sam did. Carles would like to think he could help a mate like that. But the burden of being the one to shoot him would be god awful. It took a strong man to bear the weight of something like that. Carles wasn't sure he was that strong.

Softly Greg said "Sam I think you answered your own question. Shy asked you because he trusted you to end it quickly for him. He could have asked Dragon but he knew you would not miss. You said Dragon was Shy's best friend. He could not ask his best friend to bear the weight of shooting him. You know what it is like to bear the weight of that. Would you want Dragon to feel what you feel? Would Dragon even been able to take the shot?"

Sam turned his head to look at Greg. His voice was raw pain "No I wouldn't want Dragon to feel what I feel about Matt. But Shy's death his on me. I killed him."

Ed said firmly "No you didn't Sam. The insurgents killed Shy. They tortured him and set him on fire. What you did was a mercy killing. Shy's death is not your fault. You helped Shy and you protected Dragon from a heavy burden."

The men in the room all added their voices seconding Ed's statements. None of them felt Shy's death was Sam's fault. They offered compassion for the pain that Shy's request had caused him. They had kind words of understanding.

Sam listened to all they had to say. As he listened he found that the ever-present pain began to lessen if only a little. Their open minds and kind words were helping him to begin to process the memory and it was soothing the pain he felt.

He had lanced the infected wound tonight. It had hurt very badly to cut deeply into it and feel the emotions he was trying not to feel. But the pus was running out now. It would take time Sam knew, but now this wound could start to heal.

Sam was glad he had come. He was glad that Ed asked him to come. He was glad Greg and Ed were here with him tonight. He trusted them.

 _Matt smiled and turned to Shy "He lanced the wound. He will heal now."_

 _Shy nodded "I shouldn't have asked that of him. If I knew the pain it would bring Blondie I would have never asked."_

 _Matt put his arm around Shy "Sam's soul is strong he can bear this weight. He is a chosen protector. He has family and friends that care a great deal for him. They will all help him as Ed and Greg helped him tonight."_

 _A smile appeared on Shy's face "So you said Spike swapped his caffeine pills for sugar pills?"_

 _Matt laughed "Yeah, Nanael whispered to him to do it. Sam was taking too many. He really needs to sleep tonight. I think he will sleep without nightmares tonight."_

Kelly called the meeting to a close and every man came forward and hugged Sam. Using various words each encouraged Sam to come back and that he was always welcome. Several including Carles gave him their phone numbers and said to call if he ever felt overwhelmed or just needed someone to listen with open minds without judgment.

Only four were left in the room, Sam, Ed, Greg and Kelly after everyone else left.

As Ed and Kelly talked Greg asked "Sam would you like a ride home?"

Sam shook his head "No a bike ride in the cool breeze will be nice."

Greg did not push. He recalled how much bike rides helped him after he was assaulted by the redheaded stalker. So he just nodded and said "See you on Monday. Get some rest this weekend. If you need to talk you have my number."

Sam nodded and waved by to Ed not wanting to interrupt his conversation with Kelly.

Ed waved bye to Sam. Then he turned back to Kelly and said "Thanks for making sure there was only decaf tonight. But I don't think I could do another session without coffee."

Kelly grinned, "Same here. So you think Sam will sleep tonight?"

Greg joined the conversation "I hope so. I'll check in with him tomorrow."

Ed shook his head "Let me do that. I'll invite him to go shoot a round of golf and then we can play some basketball with Clark and his friends. That way, I'll be able to tell if he actually slept regardless of what he tells me."

"Sounds like a plan Ed" Greg said with a smile. He was glad that they had learned enough about Sam's deflection to find ways to flesh out the truth without confronting him directly on things.

* * *

 _ **Bike Rack Outside Support Group Meeting – Friday – 11:30 pm**_

Sam yawned. He was so very tired even though he was feeling better than he had felt since the Godwin Coliseum call. He unlocked his bike from the rack and reattached his lock to his bike.

It was nice that he had a place to belong and family that cared about him. Ed and Greg really helped him tonight.

Matt was right. There was still beauty in his life even with all the terrible things he had experienced. It was those fragments of life that Sam held onto dearly when he felt overwhelmed.

Sam could add tonight to that list. He sighed feeling a bit more at peace. He yawned again and wondered why the caffeine pills were not working like they should be.

Then Sam thought that tonight he might actually sleep straight through. He was so exhausted and sharing his memory of Shy had lessened its hold on him. Maybe he would not have nightmares tonight. He hoped he didn't.

It was a long ride home Sam thought as he straddled his bike. He yawned again. Then he crossed his arms on the handlebar of his bike and laid his head down. He needed just a moment to rest before he took off.

Sam thought briefly that he should have taken Greg up on his offer of a ride home.

.

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ _Oatmeal, raisin walnut cookies for those that figure out who saved Carles (hint you meet him in RoMCSB and in YHABL and he had the coolest princess that is no damsel in distress)._

 _I know this one was a bit painful for a FOABL story but it was more than just Sam's memory of Shy. It was about how Ed and Greg were there for him when he needed them. And how they gave Sam a new outlet for talking if need be in the future. A place where Sam felt accepted and secure to share painful memories and get help._


	5. Ambushed

**Ambushed**

* * *

 _ **Setting:**_ _During Series: Sam and Jules dating secretly for the second time._

* * *

 _ **Sam's Apartment – Saturday – 11:00 pm**_

Sam was grumpy and distracted as he approached his apartment door. It had been two long weeks since he and Jules could be anywhere near each other. It seemed like the entire world was conspiring to keep them separated.

He just flew in from quick trip to Ottawa because Natalie was back and she insisted everyone come to hear her news. It ruined the two days off that he and Jules were anxiously awaiting. But his mom asked him to come for Nat so he had. Her news was not earth shattering. She could have just told him on the phone. But Nat was like that. Always thinking of herself.

Sam squashed that thought. Nat was his sister and he needed to be more charitable in his thoughts of her. Yes getting a design of hers accepted to be included in the fashion show was nice. Nat had worked hard for it. Nat was finally settling down, a bit.

But … if he didn't get to see Jules alone sometime soon he was gonna explode. They had shift tomorrow and they would have to be completely professional. That was so hard to do.

The word hard echoed in his head. Damn. He fumbled his keys as he tried to put them in the door. His mind had latched onto an image of Jules naked and splayed out on his bed waiting for him to … to ….

Oh god those thoughts made him so ready. He could not get the keys in the lock fast enough. It would be a warm shower alone with his hand and his imagination.

God he wanted, no needed Jules so bad. Right Now!

Finally getting his key in the lock he opened his door and threw his back pack down as he slammed his door closed needing to take care of his base needs with a dose of imagination.

Sam took three steps in and then found himself on the floor flat on this back with hands shoving his shirt up. He was stunned for half a second. His hands reached out to grab the person that ambushed him at the very same time as the smell of jasmine wafted to his nose.

He inhaled deeply as his hands landed on the naked chest of a body he knew intimately.

Lips crashed down on his as he called out in a needy, rough voice "Jules."

Jules didn't bother to shed Sam's shirt, she undid his pants and ripped them off as Sam kicked off his shoes. The two of them were coupled in seconds flat. The sex was hard, hot and oh soooo good as they tried to occupy the same space wanting their bodies to be one.

Thoroughly spent Jules collapsed onto Sam's chest and they both breathed hard as they came down from the heights.

Sam wrapped his arms around Jules and looked deeply in her amazing eyes when she lifted her head and gazed into his eyes.

He sighed, "What an ambush."

Jules grinned, "I tried waiting for you on the bed covered in rose petals. But …"

Sam grinned, "Ambush me anytime Jules. Anytime."

Then Sam's lips claimed Jules' in a slow seductive kiss as he scooped her up with him as he stood and headed for the bedroom. His conjured image of Jules lying on his bed covered in roses would now have a real counterpart. God he loved this woman, she always knew what he needed.

.

* * *

 _ **AN:** A little something for those having JAM-withdrawals. The shortest thing I've ever written._


	6. Good Afternoon At The Park

**Good Afternoon At The Park**

* * *

 _ **Setting:** Sam is seven and Sara is five. A look at an afternoon at the park and how Sam is a good brother and how he is rewarded for it._

* * *

 ** _Park Near General Braddock's Home_**

Seventeen year old Justin was again at the park. It was a long hot summer. He took this job as an ice cream vendor at the park as a summer job. Most of the kids in the park were good kids. They were all from military families, like he was, so there was an expectation to be good or you could get mom or dad into trouble.

However, there were a few bad seeds. A couple of preteen boys that would come to the park just to cause trouble. Usually the Moms or Dads would send them home with a scolding when they pulled their dumb stunts or bothered the little kids.

He stood up as three kids approached. Each knew exactly what they wanted and he took their change and pulled the ice creams out of the freezer. The kids ran off happily chatting to their mother and headed out of the park eating their treats.

It was a slow afternoon at the park. There was a large number of troops deploying or coming home today so most the families were busy with that. Justin sat back down and pulled out his hot rod magazine to pass the time.

Justin looked up when he heard familiar laughter. He smiled at the two blonde kids riding their bikes into the park. She was doing much better riding now. The little boy did not have to go so slow. Justin liked watching the General's kids. They were always so kind to one another.

He knew their names because they came to the park almost every day this summer even though they rarely got an ice cream. He heard little Sara calling her brother Sam often. He knew they were the General's kids because he came once to pick them up.

It looked like the General had come straight from the field. Sara had run happily screaming to her father and jumped into his arms. She surely did miss him. Sam however, became rigid and the smile faded from his face. It was almost as if the kid came to attention. Well he sorta did everything except for a salute.

Justin found it odd that Sara chatted away calling the General daddy while Sam was reserved and called him Sir. That kid was not the same in front of the General. It must be a Braddock thing. Justin's dad had told him that all Braddock males for generations went into the military.

He put down his magazine and watched them since he had read the magazine cover to cover several times now.

Sam looked behind him. He really, really wanted to speed faster on his bike. But Sara was behind him and he did not want to get too far away so he had ridden slower. He stopped at the bike rack and hopped off.

Sara pedaled quickly and then braked as she got to the rack. She sat on her bike, easy to do when you had training wheels holding it up. She looked at her Sammy and said "Did you bring the tools?"

"Sara do you really want to do this? Maybe we should wait until the General is home. He can teach you" Sam said.

Hopping off her bike Sara said "I want you to teach me. Once I learn then we can ride faster. Please Sammy."

Sam grinned and pulled the tools from his backpack and crouched down by her bike. As Sam worked to remove the training wheels he said "Okay. I guess you can surprise mom and the General this afternoon. We got about an hour before we have to be home."

Sara danced around happily as Sammy took off her training wheels.

Once he was done Sam held the bike as Sara got on. He said "Now remember, you have to keep pedaling you will get wobbly if you slow down. You ready?"

Sara turned to her brother and said "Don't let go until I say, okay."

"Okay" Sam responded.

Justin watched for twenty minutes as Sam ran and pushed his sister as she pedaled furiously. There were a few close calls when Sam let go but Sam always caught Sara before she could crash to the ground. Sara was really getting the hang of it. Justin was impressed with how patient Sam was with Sara. Their laughter was nice to hear.

Sam ran as fast as he could holding onto the back of Sara's seat. He had done this over and over. He called out "Ready?"

Sara gleefully said "Let go."

Sam let go and ran along side of Sara for a bit. Then he stopped and called out "You got it. Way to go Sara. Look at you fly."

Sara pedaled as a huge grin settled on her face. She yelled out joyfully "No more training wheels. Yippeeeeeeee!"

Racing back to his bike, Sam hopped on. He pedaled fast and furious and caught up to Sara.

The two of them made the circuit around the park several times laughing with each other as they rode faster than Sara had ever ridden before.

Sam asked "You ready for a solo trip around the park?"

Sara nervously said "I want you next to me."

In a confident voice Sam encouraged "You got this. You can do it."

Sam peeled off to the side and let Sara start to ride around the circle on the sidewalk around the play area. He grinned as he watched Sara ride her first solo trip. He was so proud of her.

Sara made it all the way around without incident. She stopped next to Sam and said "I did it. I did it."

"Yes you did. You want to keep riding or play on the swings?" Sam asked.

"I wanna ride but if you want to go on the swings" Sara said.

Sam was a little tired from all the running so he said "You ride. I'll watch you from the jungle gym."

"Oakie dokie" Sara said and then hopped back on and managed a wobbly start that quickly turned into a confident steady ride.

Sam walked over to the jungle gym and climbed to the top. He sat down and then hooked his legs and swung down so he was hanging upside down. He swung back and forth as he watched Sara ride. After a few more solo trips Sam took his eyes off Sara and looked at the ice cream vendor.

Man what he wouldn't give for an ice cream right about now. He was hot and sweaty from doing all that running teaching Sara to ride without training wheels.

Sara's cry of "Don't" had Sam twisting to locate her as he dropped to the ground.

He was running as soon as he feet touched the ground. It was those stupid boys that caused problems at the park. They had teased Sara for riding with training wheels. Right now they were running around her and jumping in front of her trying to make her fall off.

Sam was angry. No one teased his sister and no one hurt her. Sam yelled "Get away from Sara. Leave her alone."

Drew yelled "What ya gonna do about it pip squeak?"

Reggie picked up two handfuls of sand and threw them in front of Sara's path. Sara hit the sand and the tire of the bike slid as she wobbled and started to fall. Sam was too far away and Sara fell to the ground. She landed on her hands and knees and began to cry as they got scrapped up on the sand.

Sam poured on the speed and plowed into Reggie. They went down in a tangle of arms. Reggie was nearly twice the size of Sam but he didn't care. He was scrappy and he let his fists fly as he yelled "You hurt my sister. That was not nice. You're gonna pay."

Drew and Perry came to the aid of their friend and it was soon three twelve year olds against one seven year old.

Sam was pummeling Reggie who was still on the ground. Perry grabbed Sam's arms as Drew hauled off and hit Sam in the eye. Sam started kicking. He kicked Drew in the nuts, mostly on accident.

He twisted away from Perry and was going to go after him when strong arms grabbed him and picked him up off the ground. Sam struggled to get out of the hold a moment until he heard the person speak.

Justin had raced over as soon as he saw what happened. Damn that little kid was fearless. But he was in over his head. Those older boys would tear him apart if he did not intervene. He forcefully picked up Sam to stop him and to protect him from the boys.

He yelled "Drew, Perry, Reggie you all better get on home now or I'll be contacting your parents. I'm pretty sure you will all get in trouble for picking on little kids. Especially the General's kids."

Reggie stood up brushing off sand "You saw. He attacked me. My friends were just defending me."

Sara's cries had Sam turning to her and saying "Put me down. Sara's hurt. I gotta help her."

Justin put Sam down but put himself between Sam and the boys as he said "I saw what you did Reggie. You deliberately made Sara fall off her bike."

"Did not. Not my fault she is a baby and cannot ride through a little bit of sand. She should have kept her training wheels on" Reggie whined.

Justin bellowed "Go home! Now! Or I report what you did to the MPs."

The three boys slunked off. Drew was holding himself and walking funny. Reggie was rubbing his sore face where Sam had punched him several times.

Justin came up to the siblings as Sam was checking out Sara's hands and knees. He heard Sam say "Just little scratches. They will wash right up. Can you stand?"

Sara wiped her tears. She had been more frightened than hurt so she nodded and then stood up. Sam picked up her bike and said "You want to go home?"

Looking at her bike and now afraid to get on it Sara shook her head. She said "I wanna go sit on the swings a bit Sammy."

Sam nodded. Started to push Sara's bike toward the bike rack.

Justin stopped him and asked "Are you both okay?"

Sara said "I'm okay. Just a little scratch."

Wanting to be strong for Sara, Sam said "I'm fine. Thanks for getting rid of them."

Justin reached out and took hold of Sam's chin gently and tipped his face up. "That's gonna be some shiner. Are you sure you are okay?"

His eye hurt a lot but Sam pulled his face out of the ice cream vender's hand and said "Yeah." Then he started pushing Sara's bike to the rack.

Sara followed then the two of them went to the swings as Justin headed back to the ice cream cart.

Justin sat down and watched the two sit on the swings. After a bit he saw Sam get off and push Sara. Her laughter filled the air as she begged to go higher.

Sam pushed Sara for a little bit and then said "We need to be getting home."

Stopping the swing, Sara glanced at the bike. She was afraid to get on it. She was afraid to fall again.

Sam saw the direction that Sara was looking and said "You can do it. How about I run next to you a few times?"

Sara nodded and asked "You won't let go?"

"Not until you tell me" Sam assured her.

They headed to the bike rack. Sam pushed her and held on as he ran around the circle five times. Finally, on the sixth time Sara told him it was okay to let go. She wasn't afraid anymore.

Sam stood watching Sara ride with a big smile again as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He accidentally touched his eye and winced. He sat down in the grass and wondered how much trouble he was gonna be in for fighting. He couldn't hide the fact with the bruise that was sure to be on his face by now.

He would probably be standing at parade rest in the living room until bedtime. He might not even get dinner. If it was just mom here he would get a small talking too and a reminder that he should have used his words before his fists.

But with the General home today, he was in for a long lecture about keeping control of his emotions and thinking before acting. But Sam couldn't let Reggie get away with hurting Sara. He just couldn't. Standing at parade rest and listening to a lecture would be a small price to pay for defending Sara.

Reggie would think twice about teasing her in the future. Sam smiled as he remember how his fists had landed on Reggie's face. Served him right for causing Sara to fall.

Sam wiped the sweat off again then stood up. It was time to go home and face the music. He would tell the General exactly what happened. He called out "Sara time to go home."

He picked up Sara's training wheels and put them in the backpack along with the tools.

Justin watched the two of them ride out of the park. He smiled thinking that Sam Braddock was a good big brother.

* * *

 ** _One Hour Later - Park Near General Braddock's Home_**

Sam could not believe he did not receive a lecture. Mom had fussed over both of them cleaning Sara's scrapes and giving him a cold pack to put on his eye as the General stood listening as he reported exactly what happened.

He was then surprised when the General called the parents of each of the boys and told them what their boys had done. He had not heard his dad use that tone before as he told the parents what Sam did to Reggie and Drew. It was almost like the General was proud of what he did to protect Sara. Man, Drew, Reggie and Perry were sure gonna get in trouble. Especially because the General called their parents.

When Natalie woke up from her nap, Mom suggested they all go to the park so they could watch Sara ride without training wheels.

The ride here was faster than ever and Mom and the General let them ride ahead as they walked with Natalie in the stroller. Sara kept up with him. It was so fun to get to ride fast. The wind in his face cooled him down on the hot summer afternoon.

Sam put his bike in the bike rack and headed for his favorite jungle gym. He climbed up top and watched over Sara who was happily riding around the park until his parents got there. Then he hooked his legs and swung down upside down. He closed his eyes because it felt better that way. He swung back and forth and just relaxed knowing his parents were watching Sara.

He was surprised when the General said "Samuel."

Sam was surprised because the voice came to him from atop the jungle gym rather than next to it. He opened his eyes and looked up. Sam saw the General sitting on the jungle gym.

He swung himself upright and sat nearly at attention on the top "Yes Sir."

William moved his hand from behind his back producing two of Samuel's favorite ice cream treats, which just happened to be his favorite too.

He said "Son you did well today. Not only did you teach your sister to ride without training wheels and help lessen her fear after her fall. You were fearless against a stronger and bigger force as you defended her. You showed them that no one hurts our family and gets away with it."

Then William handed Sam one of the ice creams as he stated "I'm very proud of what you did and how you handled yourself. But if your mother asks I gave you a lecture about using your words first."

Sam was dumbfounded but smiled and reached out for the ice cream "Yes Sir."

William tousled Samuel's hair. He asked "How does the eye feel?"

Shrugging Sam said "It's okay Sir."

Father and son sat atop the jungle gym and enjoyed an ice cream treat as they watched Sara joyfully riding her bike without training wheels.

It was a good afternoon at the park and a fragment of a beautiful life that Sam would tuck away and remember.

.

* * *

 _ **AN:** This one hit me and popped out over my lunch break. Hope you enjoyed it._


	7. Sam's Sixth Christmas

**Sam's Sixth Christmas**

* * *

 _ **Setting:**_ _Sam is six, Sara is four and Natalie is an infant. A look at Sam's and Sara's Christmas. A Christmas full of kindness, love, fun, laughter and a miracle in the eyes of a six year old._

* * *

 _ **December 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **– Mall – Ottawa**_

Two pair of eyes shining in innocent wonder, one pair cobalt blue and one pair emerald green, reflect the twinkling lights that hung all around Santa's Candy Cane house.

Sam held tightly to Sara's hand.

He felt a sense of duty. Mom put him in charge of Sara so they could stay in line while she went to the bathroom to change stinky Natalie. Little Nattie was stinking up the whole place with her dirty diaper. It was gross, so Mom told him he was in charge of Sara and she would be right back and not to go anywhere with anyone.

Sam looked around at all the red, green, yellow, blue, purple and orange lights and the gold and silver Christmas decorations on the huge Christmas tree by the candy cane Santa house. It was still magical, even though he knew the secret about Santa Claus already.

He had overheard several older boys talking at school and they said Santa did not exist. That it was really his parents that gave him the gift from Santa.

When he got home that day, he asked Mom if Santa was real. She tried to tell him that Santa really lived in the North Pole. But at nearly seven years old, only seven weeks from now he would be seven, Sam was not buying it. He persisted to question his mom until she finally explained the truth of it all to him.

Mom said that Santa really does exist but it is not the jolly fat man that little kids believe in. She explained that Santa is the spirit of giving that actually lives in each and every one of us in our hearts. And that this is the time of year when we get to show all those we love, how much we love them, by letting our inner Santa spirit shine. It was a time to be charitable and show kindness towards others. Mom also said that doing that made you feel really good inside.

As he was thinking about this and looking at all the decorations, Sam felt Sara tug on his hand. Sam looked down at Sara and smiled "Yeah?"

"Sammy how much longer? I wanna see Santa Claus" Sara whined.

"Sara, no whining. Remember, Santa Claus is still making his list" Sam said.

Sara's eyes widened "I've been a good girl."

Sam tousled her hair "Yes you have." But then he teased "Except for painting my plastic army men with pink nail polish."

"But I said I was sorry and Mommy helped me get it all off. Santa wouldn't put me on the naughty list for that would he?" Sara asked worriedly.

Sam squatted down feeling bad about teasing her. So much for following what Mom said and being kind. He messed up and he needed to fix this.

His voice was serious "No Santa would not put you on the naughty list for that. You said you were sorry and you fixed it. You are _definitely_ on the good girl list." Then to distract her he asked "So what are you going to ask Santa to bring you?"

A bright smile lit Sara's face "A two-wheel bike so we can ride together. I cannot keep up on my tricycle. What are you gonna ask Santa for?"

Sam thought a moment. Even though he knew Santa was not real he would not ruin it for Sara so he had to come up with a good answer. He finally answered "That the General gets to be home for Christmas."

Sara cocked her head "Stop calling Daddy, the General. You can call him Dad when you are with me and Mommy. Can Santa do that?"

Sam shrugged "Don't know but that is what I want. Dad's been gone a long time and I miss going shooting with him."

Their father had been gone for three whole months now. Even though when Dad was home he was really strict with him and made him address him as Sir or General, Sam still liked spending time with him. He missed his dad a lot, _a whole lot_. Especially after all the time he got to spend with him this past summer when he got sick with Q fever.

That was the longest that Dad had been able to stay home in a long time. Dad taught him how to play chess since he could not run around until he got better. He liked chess. Dad had built him the tree house too. He, Scott, Adam and Jeff played a lot in that tree house. His cousins came over often to play with him and give him a break from all the girls.

Dad had also gotten him a rifle, a real rifle, when he was all better. They had gone to the gun range every Saturday morning until Dad had to go to the desert base three months ago. The gun range was one place they had loads of fun together. It was always just the two of them without girls. Sam liked having his dad all to himself when they were at the gun range.

It was their special time and Sam missed it. Dad had been really proud of him the last time they went to the range. He had hit five targets dead center when he shot quickly. Dad said that he was really good and someday he would be better than him.

Sam didn't think that was possible. His dad was the best and fastest shot the Special Forces had ever had. Sam would never be as good a shot as his dad but it was fun to go shooting with him. He had his dad all to himself at the range.

The two moved forward several paces. Then Sara asked "What should we ask Santa for Nattie? Cause you know she can't talk yet."

"How about a stuffed animal?" Sam offered.

Shaking her head Sara said "No." Then a serious thoughtful expression covered her face then she smiled brightly "I got it. Nattie needs a tricycle so she can ride with us too."

Sam looked at his little sister and tried hard not to laugh. He said nicely "Nattie is just a baby. She won't be able to ride a tricycle for a couple of years. Maybe Santa could bring her a doll or something. That way she could play with it right now."

Sara hugged Sam "You're the best Sammy. I didn't think about that. But you gotta ask for something other than Daddy to come home. How about you ask for a new sled." Then she giggled "That way Scott can't run you into a tree again sledding on an oil pan."

Sam laughed. Last night when all the family was over at the house, Adam had told the story of how Scott thought an oil pan with wax was a good sled and Scott and Sam ran into a tree at the bottom of the hill. Sam only remembered it from Adam's story not the actual event.

They moved forward again and Sara started jumping up and down in excitement "We're next, we're next."

Sam looked around for Mom and saw her coming.

Yvonne reached Sam and Sara just as the two were heading up to see Santa. See looked at Mary Griffon that stood just behind them and mouthed a silent 'thank you' for keeping an eye on Sam and Sara.

Mary smiled and nodded. She knew that Yvonne wanted Sam to think he was in charge but Yvonne had covertly asked her to keep an eye on them both as she waited in line with her two kids too. Sam was such a good boy. She wished her son treated his little sister like that. But Evan only ignored or complained about his sister.

She watched as Yvonne tried to get Natalie to go into Santa's arms for the picture with Sam and Sara. But it was a tear fest as seven-month-old Natalie clung to her mother. That is until Sam went to his sister Natalie and took her from his mother's arms. Natalie started to smile and coo as Sam talked to her and carried her back to Santa. Sam sat next to Santa holding Natalie.

Mary smiled thinking, that was a beautiful picture with three smiling blonde kids sitting with an authentic looking Santa Claus. After the picture, Mary watched as Sam took Natalie back to Yvonne and then went back and sat on Santa's lap.

As Sam talked, Mary noted that Santa's face looked a little sad. It was the look that Santa made when the kids asked for something that was difficult or impossible to bring them, like a dead or deployed parent. Mary had overheard Sam and Sara talking and what Sam was asking for, his dad to come home. His father being the General, it was highly unlikely he would be home for Christmas. It made her sad for Sam.

Yvonne came to stand near her and Mary whispered "Do you know what Sam asked Santa for?"

Turning to look at Mary as she held Natalie and swayed a bit, Yvonne answered "I've got a pretty good idea what he's gonna ask for. Sam was talking about the Nerf rocket launcher thingy for his tree house for weeks on end, every time Scott was over he told him about it and how he wanted one."

Mary shook her head and sadly shared "No, poor dear. It is not a thing but a who. Sam is asking Santa to bring his dad home for Christmas."

Yvonne smiled and leaned in close to Mary as she whispered "He's gonna get it then. William's expected home late tomorrow night. After the kids are in bed. We've been keeping it a surprise just in case anything happens to prevent it."

Mary smiled "I hope he makes it then."

Yvonne turned back to watch Sam lift Sara up into Santa's lap because Sara insisted he go first. Her two oldest children had a very special connection. Sara adored Sam and Sam always took such good care of Sara. He took good care of Nat too but there was a deeper connection between those two because they were closer in age and older. It might also have something to do with them sharing the same birth date two years apart.

Sara squirmed on Santa's lap and when he asked her what she wanted she said "First for my sister Nattie, she can't talk yet, she's just a baby. Sammy and I think she would like a dolly or a stuffed animal. I think she would like pony or a kitty cat."

As the little girl spoke, the mall Santa glanced at the little blonde, blue-eyed boy again. He had been the best behaved child to sit on his lap today. This little girl was the second. Both had started out with what their little sister would want. It was so sweet to see kids thinking of others at this time of year instead of just me, me, me.

The little boy whispered to him that he knew he was just a stand in Santa and couldn't really bring him what he wanted. When he asked what that was, he wished he hadn't asked. It wrenched his heart when the little boy said he wanted his dad to come home from overseas.

That was the hardest part of being a Santa close to the base. Kids missed their deployed parents and invariably he had a few that only wanted their mom or dad to come home.

Santa returned his focus to the sweet little girl and responded "That is what your brother said too. I will see what I can do. What is it you want?"

Sara grinned and said "I would like a big girl bike, if it is not too much trouble. When the snow melts then my Sammy and I can ride bikes together. My trike doesn't go fast enough to keep up with Sammy. But Sammy always rides slow for me. I want to ride fast like him."

Santa smiled "Well you have been a good girl this year, so I might be able to do that. I'll check with the elves in the workshop."

Sara's eyes danced with excitement "If it could be a yellow bike, that would be extra awesome."

Handing Sara a candy cane he set her down and he saw the little boy take her hand as he called "Ho. Ho. Ho. Now you be good and I'll be visiting you tomorrow night."

Sam took Sara's hand and walked to their mom. He looked at his mom who was holding Natalie. She looked a little tired. Sam shoved his candy cane in his pocket.

He was about to ask if Mom wanted him to carry Natalie for her when Sara unwrapped her candy cane and it dropped from her hand onto the floor and it broke into pieces.

Sam dug out his candy cane as Sara started to tear up. He held out his candy cane "Here Sara, you can have mine." He unwrapped it and handed it to her.

Sara wiped at her eyes and reached for the candy cane. She smiled and her green eyes lit up. "Thank you, Sammy."

Yvonne looked at Sam. He always was doing such nice things for Sara. Yvonne pulled him close, hugging him and said "That was very nice Sam."

He grinned and then bent down and picked up the bits and pieces of the broken candy cane. Then he hurried over to a trash can and dropped them in.

When Sam got back, Sara broke the candy cane in half and held out her hand for him to pick a half "Here you have half."

Sam took the smaller half and popped it into his mouth. He grinned. Mom was right, being nice did make him feel good inside.

Yvonne smiled at Sara. She was so proud of both her young, caring, children. She hugged Sara and said "That was very nice too, Sara."

Remembering what he was going to ask before Sara dropped her candy cane, Sam looked up at his Mom and asked "Do you want me to carry Nattie so you don't get too tired? It is a long walk to the car."

Yvonne was blown away again with Sam's actions. She smiled and said "Okay. Thank you. When we get home, we can all make cookies together."

Sara squealed with delight, "Can we make sugar cookies and use all the color sprinkles?"

Yvonne nodded and then handed Natalie to Sam and the four of them headed out of the mall.

* * *

 _ **December 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Library – 7:30 pm**_

Sam sat on the couch with both his sisters next to him and all three were wearing comfy pajamas. Mom had a fire going in the fireplace and the tree lights were twinkling. They had a warm comforter over all three of them and Sam was reading Christmas stories to his sisters. Not that Natalie understood, but she was quiet when he read to her.

Yvonne sat watching her three children. This was definitely a Christmas to remember. They had so much fun making cookies together. Little Natalie enjoyed watching from her little bouncer seat.

Sammy picked her up at one point and helped her decorate a few cookies by holding the sprinkles bottle in her hand and shaking it over the cookies. Natalie had giggled and laughed and was very happy about that. However, she and Sammy had so much fun with it that they ended up dumping tons of sugar sprinkles on each cookie. But that was okay; it made it special and memorable.

Sara's cookies were works of art for a four-year-old, almost five-year-old, Sara liked to correct. That little girl would surely be her baking buddy. Yvonne really enjoyed spending time in the kitchen with Sara. She gave her mixing and measuring jobs when they made things together. Sara was a bright one for her age.

Sam was a bright one for his age too. But he was not too into the whole cooking thing. He helped out; especially when it came to making the oatmeal, raisin, walnut cookies. His eyes brightened when he saw her add extra raisins and walnuts.

But he preferred to entertain Natalie for her when she cooked. Sam crawled around the floor with Natalie all the time. It was nice to see him bonding with Natalie like he had bonded to Sara. However, Yvonne did not think the bond between Sam and Natalie would ever be quite as strong as the one between Sam and Sara. That bond was unique, and reminded her of the bond she had with her twin sister Ann. Could Sam and Sara have been meant to be twins but somehow ended up two years apart?

She stopped her wild musing and tuned back into her children on the couch. She smiled as she observed them.

"Sammy read it again" Sara begged when Sam finished Frosty the Snowman.

Sam answered "But don't you want me to read Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?"

Sara shook her head and asked "Do you think if we make a snowman it would come to life?"

Sam grinned "Only if we find a magic hat. Otherwise he will just be a normal snowman."

"Can we look for a magic hat?" Sara asked with expectant, green eyes.

"Not tonight. It is too late. But tomorrow we can" Sam answered.

Sara asked "Promise."

"Promise" Sam answered. Then he read Frosty the Snowman again. When he finished, Sam turned to Natalie who was lying next to him on the couch and showed her the two books "Hey Nattie, Ruddy or Frosty?"

Natalie babbled happily and her little hand reached out for the Rudolph book.

"Rudolph, it is then" Sam said with a grin.

Sam opened the book and started reading. Half way through the book Natalie was sound asleep. By the end of the story Sara was nodding off too. Yvonne got up and said "I'll get Sara if you will carry Nattie for me. After they are tucked in bed you may stay up a bit later with me tonight."

They carried the girls up to their rooms and Yvonne tucked both Sara and Natalie in. Then she and Sammy headed back downstairs.

* * *

 _ **December 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **– General Braddock's Office – Desert Base – 0430 hours**_

General Braddock closed the last report and drank the dregs of his cold coffee. He had pulled an all-nighter so he could be on the 0600 flight home. He called out "Enter" at the knock on his door.

Colonel Sutton sauntered in and sat down "I had Corporal Ramirez pack your bags Will. Did you get everything done you needed?"

Leaning back and rubbing his tired eyes William grinned "Yeah all the reports are in order. You have my notes for the briefing on your desk. Thanks for covering for me so I could get home this year."

"Those kids are at the magical age for Christmas" Tom said with a smile.

"Yes they are. Yvonne told me that Sam found out about Santa Claus this year. I had hoped for one more year of him believing. But Yvonne had a beautiful explanation for him" William said.

"What did she tell him?" Tom asked.

William shared "Yvonne said we all carry the spirit of Santa Claus. She said he smiled at that. I wish he would smile and laugh more around me. Things have been tense and he is so rigid around me."

Tom sighed "William we are good friends and it is not really for me to tell you how to raise your son. But if you want him to relax around you perhaps you should treat him more like your son rather than a soldier. I understand the desire to prepare him for a soldier's life, but Will, he is still just a little boy."

William bristled "Samuel will have a hard road in the military. I know what it like to join and have a high ranking father. He needs to toughen up and learn discipline."

Tom shook his head "Will, on one hand you say you want him to smile and laugh, then in the next breath you say he needs discipline and to be tougher. Do you hear yourself? Those two things are opposites. He is a boy, let him be a child now. There will be time enough to be a soldier."

Seeing the ice in William's eyes Tom sighed "As I said it is not my place. Those are just my observations. Do what you will with them. Is there anything you need to pass down to me?"

William shoved his irritation down. Tom did not know what it was like to be a Braddock. The expectations were enormous. William was raised the same way he was raising Samuel and he turned out fine. He needed to prepare Samuel for the harsh realities of military service. Preparation begun early would ingrain habits that would serve Samuel well in the military.

General Braddock shook his head "No everything you need is already on your desk. I think I'll head home for a quick shower before I catch the flight."

Standing up Tom said "Enjoy Christmas with your family William."

"I will. Thanks again Tom" William said as the two of them headed out of his office.

* * *

 _ **December 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Library – 8:30 pm**_

Yvonne sat on the couch with Sammy's head in her lap as she carded her fingers gently through his hair. She let him stay up later so that they could sit looking at the tree lights, sipping hot cocoa and eating Sam's favorite cookies, just the two of them. Yvonne wanted to spend some special one on one time with Sammy and to do something special just for him for all the help he gave her lately.

She had been having more and more spells of tiredness. They came out of the blue and the doctor had no clue what was causing them. Sammy had helped out a lot.

Sam smiled up at his mom as she ran her fingers through his hair. He felt so loved, safe and warm with his head in her lap. It was really nice to spend some time alone with Mom. It rarely ever happened.

"Mom, do you think there are angels? Or is that like Santa Claus too?" Sam asked as he turned his eyes from the angel at the top of the tree up to his mom.

Yvonne looked down into his innocent, blue eyes and smiled "I truly believe there are angels. But I have no way to prove it."

Sam looked back at the angel and then asked "Does Dad have an angel? I mean like one that keeps him safe."

Yvonne could see that Sam was worried about his father. This happened when William was gone for long periods of time. She nodded "Yes, I believe he has a special angel."

"A special angel?" Sam asked not understanding. He thought all angels were the same.

As she continued to stroke his hair, Yvonne answered "Special angels are called guardian angels. They help guide and keep those they watch over safe."

"Oh, like that angel in It's a Wonderful Life" Sam stated.

"Yes, like that" Yvonne responded.

Sam yawned "Do you think I'll have a guardian angel?"

Yvonne leaned down and kissed Sam's forehead "I think you will have the very best guardian angel sweetie."

Sam snuggled close and drifted off to sleep. Yvonne sat there for hours. Something compelled her to remain where she was and simply enjoy having Sammy sleeping peacefully in her lap. Finally she gently shifted him and picked him up. Soon he would be too big for her to carry. She would miss that.

Yvonne laid Sammy in bed and tucked him. She kissed his cheek "Sweet dreams little one. May the angels keep you safe."

She paused at the door before turning off the light. Her little boy was growing up too fast. Before long, William would be wanting to send him to that military academy for boys that he attended. Yvonne smiled, that was not happening. She would not send her little boy off all alone to the military academy. That was one battle she would fight and win.

* * *

 _ **December 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Inside – 1:30 pm**_

Screams and peals of laughter reached Yvonne's ears. She looked out the window in the back yard as she sat sipping coffee. Yvonne had just put Natalie down for a nap. She smiled at the scene outside.

Overnight there was an unexpected snowstorm. It was a clear and beautiful day today but last night's storm had dumped over a foot of new snow. She was glad that Scott, Adam, Jeff, Vicky and Ashley had come over. She was watching all the older Braddock kids today, except for the seventeen-year-old twins Tiffany and Pamela, so their parents could do last minute shopping and wrapping of presents.

Scott and Adam were fourteen, Ashely was thirteen, Vicky was twelve and Jeff was eleven. They were all doing a great job entertaining Sam and Sara.

Vicky and Ashely were currently helping Sara make snow angels in the fresh snow. That was so sweet. They had finished making a snowman a bit earlier. Sara really wanted it to come alive like Frosty and got a little maudlin when it didn't. So, Vicky and Ashley had distracted her with making snow angels.

The boys however, were having an all-out snowball war. Sam had joined them after finishing the snowman with Sara, Vicky and Ashley. Right now, it appeared that Scott and Sam had teamed up against Adam and Jeff.

One would think that Adam and Jeff had the advantage over Scott and Sam, seeing that Sam was so much younger. But Yvonne knew that Sam's accuracy in throwing the snowballs and his speed at running and ducking more than made up for his smaller size. In fact, his smaller size was also an advantage. Sam could hide better behind the trees and bushes.

Yvonne watched a little longer and then rose to go start warming some milk for homemade hot chocolate for the kids. When they finally decided to come in they would all be cold and would need a nice warm drink and some cookies too.

* * *

 _ **December 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Outside – 1:30 pm**_

Scott knelt down as he formed snowballs and dropped them into the plastic bucket refilling their arsenal "Okay, here is our plan of attack. We reload. Then I draw them out as you sneak in close behind them. Once you are close you let them have it rapid fire."

Sam nodded making another snowball and said "They will never see me coming. I wish had a snowball rifle. I could take them out without having to get close."

Chuckling, Scott said "Snowball rifle. I like it. Yeah, I wish we had one. Maybe we can rig something up later that might work something like that."

"Hey, I bet that nerf rocket launcher thing might work. I wonder if Mom and Dad got that for me. I hope so" Sam remarked.

"Isn't that what you wanted Santa to bring you?" Scott asked.

Sam looked at Scott and then looked around to see where Sara was. She was all the way on the other side of the yard with Vicky and Ashely so he whispered "I know about Santa now. The Santa spirit is in all of us. Mom told me."

Scott grinned but he was a little sad. Sam was getting bigger now. He was not such a little boy. He was gonna miss that.

Sam was like the little brother he always wanted. Sure, Vicky and his baby sister Amelia were great but he liked having a little brother to teach things too and do boy stuff with. But he figured when Kyle was born he would have a real little brother he could do those things with too. It was one of the reasons they were over here today. Mom said she needed a little rest.

So, Scott guessed it was okay that Sam was growing up. He smiled and said "That's right. So now let's go spread some snowball joy to our cousins."

Sam laughed. He liked Scott so much. He wished Scott was his big brother and lived here so they could do cool stuff every day. He packed another snowball and his bucket was full. He said "I'm full of ammo."

"Same here" Scott said as he hefted a snowball into his hand. Then he said "Ready?"

Getting ready to run from the cover of their base towards Adam's and Jeff's based Sam nodded "Ready."

Scott stood up and yelled "Adam and Jeff you are going down." He lobbed snowball after snowball at their base.

Adam and Jeff had been making plans of their own but had to stop to retaliate to Scott's assault on their base. Both began lobbing snowballs at Scott.

Sam raced the long way around the yard in the opposite direction that Scott was moving and without Adam and Jeff seeing him. He snuck up quietly. Well almost quietly, he could not stop the soft, playful snickers from erupting from his mouth as he moved in closer. Adam and Jeff would never know what hit them.

Adam teased loudly as he lobbed a snowball at Scott "So did Sammy give up? Was this too much for him."

Jeff joined in and taunted "Come out from hiding Sammy and face us like a Braddock. You're leaving your teammate hanging. Come out. Or are you too afraid?"

Sam stood behind them and threw a snowball at Jeff's head. Bulls-eye.

Jeff was whacked in the back of the head with a snowball. He spun around and said "What?" as Adam was pelted in the back with two snowballs.

Sam stood up and yelled "Not afraid, just implementing a better strategy. Stealth. Two-pronged assault."

He then threw the snowballs rapid fire at Adam and Jeff as they both tried to duck and get out of the path of the snowballs.

Scott raced forward with his ammo and was laughing loudly as he and Sam pummeled Jeff and Adam into submission with one snowball after another finding its mark.

Adam and Jeff were too busy ducking, covering and laughing as they were pelted to bother throwing any snowballs back. They were bested by a six-year-old.

When Sam and Scott ran out of ammo, they stood waiting for Jeff and Adam to surrender.

Adam stood and brushed off the snow and looked at Scott and then at Sam. He said "Good plan. Never saw it coming."

Jeff was trying to get the ice-cold snow out of his shirt where it had gotten into his jacket. He shivered as he looked at Sam and said "You got stealth down. And your aim, criminy, you're good. You are on my team next. Together we can take out Scott and Adam no problem."

Sam grinned. This was fun. They switched up teams and began another round.

Jeff and Sam won the next round when Jeff lured Scott and Adam to a location under one of the trees. Sam had scurried up the tree beforehand and then rained down snowballs on them. They had laughed and said they never thought to look up in the tree.

Next up was Sam and Adam against Jeff and Scott. Adam had brought his sling shot and they rigged it up so Sam could send snowballs flinging into Scott's and Jeff's base but be out of their throwing range. Sam kept them so busy dodging snowballs to the head, that Scott and Jeff never saw Adam sneaking up on their flank and behind them with their secret weapon.

Once Adam was in position, Sam started a faster barrage of snowballs. Adam hefted a huge snowball, the size of which approximated a snowman's head, then threw it at their backs. The snowball bomb hit both Scott and Jeff in the back with a thud. It sent both of them face first into the deep snow.

As Scott rolled over and spit snow out of his mouth, he could hear Sam cackling loudly along with Adam's more sedate snickering. He looked at Adam and said "What the heck was that?"

Jeff rolled over as Sam raced up to their base holding the sling shot. Jeff wiped the snow out of his eyes and said "Feels like I got bowled over by a snowman."

Sam cackled impishly "Not a snowman, a snow bomb. I win again. I win. I win."

Scott sat up and brushed the snow from his hair and looked at Adam and Jeff. Sam had been on the winning team each time and not been hit by any snowballs. Scott smiled mischievously and said "Let's get em'."

Sam's eyes widened in glee then he turned and ran. His three cousins chased after him throwing snowballs. He swerved and ducked as he ran, laughing the entire time. Sam scurried up a tree and out of the reach of their snowballs.

He looked down at them and said "You can't get me." Then he shook the branches sending snow falling down on them.

Scott chuckled "Ya gotta come down sometime doppelganger. We can wait."

Jeff sat down and started making more snowballs as he said "You forgot to plan an exit strategy Sam."

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Sam retorted "Nu uh. I have the perfect exit strategy."

Sam watched Vicky, Ashley and Sara sneaking up behind Jeff, Scott and Adam. They were loaded with snowballs. All he had to do was wait until they launched their attack on his unsuspecting cousins.

Sara glanced up at Sam and smiled. She had seen Adam, Jeff and Scott gang up on her Sammy. She saw him make it to the tree and up to safety. Sara had then whispered to Ashley and Vicky and they quickly made a bunch of snowballs.

Sam smiled at Sara. Little sister to the rescue. He shook the tree again, sending more snow down to distract his male cousins.

Sara yelled "Now."

The three girls let loose their hail of snowballs. The guys were caught off guard and scrambled to take cover and begin to lob snowballs back.

Sam scurried down the tree and joined Sara, Vicky and Ashley. When they were out of ammo, Sam grabbed Sara's hand and he and the other girls beat a quick retreat towards the house. The guys were on their heels the whole way.

* * *

 _ **December 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Inside – 4:00 pm**_

Sam pushed open the kitchen door and skidded to a halt inside as Sara came crashing in after him. Within moments Vicky, Ashley, Scott, Adam and Jeff were all standing in the kitchen dripping snow on the floor.

Yvonne looked at the motley group of wet kids and smiled. "Who wants some hot chocolate and cookies?"

Seven kids all yelled "Me!"

"Okay. Well, go take off your outerwear and hang it in the mudroom. I'll have hot chocolate waiting when you are done" Yvonne instructed.

They all headed for the mudroom laughing and joking about the last epic snowball battle.

When they all returned, they settled around the table and happily tucked in the cookies and hot chocolate.

Yvonne sat down after wiping up all the water on the floor and sipped her coffee. She listened to the happy chatter as the kids recounted their snowball war stories. She finally asked "So who won the snowball war?"

Sam beamed and said "I did. I was on the winning team each time."

Scott, Adam and Jeff all tossed their hats at Sam.

He ducked and none hit him. "See I even win at hat balls" Sam chortled with a WOW smile on his face.

Scott groaned "Just wait until this summer. Dad said you could come play paintball with us this year because you are old enough now. Just you wait, we'll get you then."

Sam shrugged and said cockily and with pride "You can try. But you do realize my Dad is the best sniper in the world and he is training me to be a sniper. You will never see me and I will not miss."

Everyone laughed except Yvonne.

Yvonne just smiled. William would be so happy to hear that Sam had such confidence and she was so happy that William's training methods had not driven a wedge between them. She hoped it would remain so but she had serious doubts.

* * *

 _ **December 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Garage – 10:30 pm**_

Yvonne sat watching William trying to put together the bicycle for Sara. It had been hidden in the garage for two weeks now. Neither Sam or Sara had found it. Erik had offered to put it together this afternoon when he picked up the kids but William insisted he would be home in time to do it.

Well he got home about a half hour ago. After a nice quiet welcome home and a stealthy peek in at the kids, William had come out to put it together. Yvonne bit her lip to stave off the laughter that wanted to erupt. General Badass was being defeated by unclear instructions. She shouldn't laugh but William looked so comical with his face screwed up as he flipped the instructions this way and that as if reading it upside down would work.

William looked up at Yvonne and he did laugh "Some Santa Claus I am. I can't even figure out how to put together a bicycle."

Yvonne let out a small chuckle "You did say there were instructions in Chinese too. Why don't you try reading them? Perhaps something was lost in translation."

William looked up at Yvonne with a 'why didn't I think of that look'. He grabbed the other set of instructions, the one in Chinese, and began reading them. His love of languages had some very practical uses. The light bulb went on as he read. Yeah who ever translated the instructions had no grasp of English.

He stood up and came to Yvonne. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her ardently. When he was done he said "Mrs. Claus to the rescue again. How can I ever thank you?"

Yvonne gave William a come hither look and said amorously "I can think of many ways. Finish up Santa and I'll be waiting upstairs."

"Oh you tease. I'll be up shortly" William said as he gazed at Yvonne keenly. It had been a long separation and there was nothing more he wanted to do but to take Yvonne to bed and make passionate love to her. He should have taken Erik up on his offer to put together the bike. Damn he wasn't thinking?

Yvonne kissed him back then seeing that she needed to cool his jets a bit so he could actually finish the bike she said "Do you want to know what Sammy asked Santa for yesterday?"

William headed back to the pile of parts and picked up the one that he needed and answered "Sure."

"Well he asked that you would be home for Christmas" Yvonne said.

He turned to look at Yvonne dumbfounded "Samuel really asked Santa for me to come home?"

Yvonne looked at William and spoke with sincerity "Yes William, Sammy loves you and he misses you. You should have heard him this afternoon. He spoke with such pride as he said you were the best sniper in the world. That boy adores you and loves spending time with you at the gun range."

"Maybe you can lighten up on your rules for him. Sammy is such a good boy but I fear what you expect of him is too much for someone his age. You treat him like he is an adult with adult responsibilities. But he is just a little boy. He should not be burdened with things like that yet." Yvonne pleaded her case hoping that William would relent or at least see the danger of continuing down the path he chose.

"Not you too? Tom gave me the same lecture. I grew up just fine and my father was ten times stricter with me than I am with Samuel. Yvonne, he needs to learn. Braddock's are military men and it is my duty to prepare him for that life. It could save his life one day" William explained away his actions, believing deeply that he was right and this was necessary.

Sighing Yvonne said "Yes you are just fine honey but you are not Sammy. He has such a tender heart. You do not see what I see. I fear you will drive a wedge between you two. Erik, Mark and Ryan have not raised their sons according to your father methods. Scott, Adam and Jeff are growing up happy, healthy, well-balance and they will be prepared for the military life. Perhaps for Christmas you could cease correcting him if he calls you Dad."

William looked at Yvonne. She just didn't get it. Samuel needed to be ready for military life. It was unrelenting and demanded the highest level of discipline. Lives depended on it. Making exceptions would impact the behaviors that needed to be ingrained. They needed to be second nature to Samuel. He needed to know that following orders was always expected, no exceptions. It was a simple rule he was using to instill that, call him Sir instead of Dad.

But the look on Yvonne's face spoke volumes. She was worried about Samuel. His son had stepped up a lot while he was away. Yvonne had been having bouts of tiredness that were unexplained. Samuel was indispensable to her and helped a lot with Sara and Natalie.

William conceded to Yvonne to make her happy "For Christmas only. I will not correct him if he calls me Dad instead of Sir."

Yvonne smiled "Thank you William. I'll see you upstairs shortly."

She turned and headed out of the garage. William had finally conceded that point. It was progress. Sure Sammy would be going into the military; it was what Braddock's did. But that was when he was grown.

Right now, Sammy needed time to be a carefree kid. Too soon Sammy would be burdened with protecting others. Right now, it was her responsibility to protect her son's tender heart.

Yvonne would continue picking her battles and try to win this war of wills with William. She hoped she could win the war before any real, lasting damaged to their relationship was done. It would sadden her greatly if those two did not continue a beautiful father/son relationship.

She knew that William loved Sammy deeply and his mind logically thought he was doing the right thing. But she needed to get William to think with his heart rather than his mind when it came to their only son.

* * *

 _ **December 25**_ _ **th**_ _ **– Braddock Home – Library – 6:30 am**_

Sam held Sara's hand as they went down the stairs. Both of them had wanted to go down when they woke up at five am. But Sam knew he would eventually be dressed down if disobeyed what Mom told him to do last night.

The General might not be here, but the General seemed to always know when he disobeyed, even when he was not here. The General was sorta like Santa Claus that knew if kids were naughty or nice or in his case if he obeyed or disobeyed his mother. Sam did not want to risk getting dressed down when the General got home. So, they waited.

Mom had said that they had to wait until six-thirty because Natalie was on a sleeping schedule that should not be disrupted or she would be cranky all day. Personally, Sam had to agree, having a cranky Natalie was never good. Her cranky cries were the worst and nothing he ever did would stop them.

So he had kept Sara entertained in her room until six-thirty. But that was after he had made his bed, folded and put away his pjs, brushed his teeth, dressed and squared away his room. He had helped Sara brush her teeth, well at least put the toothpaste on for her, she could do the actual brushing herself.

While she got dressed, Sam made her bed for her. Sara was only four and he didn't want her getting in trouble if it wasn't made perfectly. Not that she was held to the same standard as him but Sam wanted today to be fun. So, doing everything that was expected without being reminded should start the day off right.

A little part of him wished that he still believed in Santa. That way he could pretend that Santa might actually bring him what he wanted. Even though Dad was strict, Sam really wanted him home. Not only for himself, but for Sara, Nattie and Mom too. It wouldn't feel like Christmas without Dad.

Sam and Sara entered the library. Mom was sitting on the couch feeding Natalie. The Christmas tree lights were turned on and the fire are going in the fireplace. It was warm and cozy.

Sara pulled out of his hand and raced forward and around the tall wingback chairs that were facing the tree so she could see what Santa brought her.

Sam's face did not hide his disappointment. He knew his dad would not be here. But knowing that and actually experiencing it were two different things. When he went to bed last night, Sam had said a little prayer asking for Dad to be here on Christmas day with them. He fell asleep hoping against hope that Dad would miraculously be here this morning.

But Dad was not here.

Sam looked at Mom and tried to smile even though he was really sad. As he slowly walked into the room, Sam thought at least he was not tearing up over it. That would make his mom sad and Sam did not want to make her sad. Not on Christmas.

Sara's squeals of delight deafened him as she ran to the tree. "Sammy, Sammy, Santa brought me a yellow bike. A two wheel one. Look, look. It has training wheels. I'm gonna learn real fast Sammy. Then we can race."

Sam made his way towards the tree to see Sara's new bike. He was happy for her even if he didn't get what he wanted for Christmas. He rounded the winged back chair looking at Sara as she looked over her bike.

He forced his voice to be happy as he said "It is very cool. Just what you wanted. See, I told you that you were on Santa's nice list. I'll help you take it into the garage in a little bit so you can ride it."

Sam moved forward and saw the Nerf launcher. It was the launcher he had wanted. But it was just a thing. He didn't want a thing. He wanted Dad. He missed Dad. He wanted to sit in his lap. He wanted to play chess with him. He wanted to go shooting with him.

His eyes scanned all the prettily wrapped presents. They were all just things. Sam felt the prickle of tears trying to form. He couldn't cry. Not on Christmas. That would make Mom really sad. But he felt like crying. He missed Dad and he wanted him here.

Sam gnawed on his lower lip as he looked at the things. He had to try and be happy for his mom and sisters. His eyes landed on a medium sized stuffed pony. He assumed the pony was for Nattie. He picked it up and headed for his mom who was now just holding Natalie.

He said in the cooing voice that made Nattie smile "Look what Santa brought you Nattie. A pony. You like ponies don't you?" Sam set it in her arms as Nattie babbled happily.

Sam leaned over and kissed his mom's cheek and said "Merry Christmas Mom."

Yvonne saw the sadness in Sammy's eyes. She had watched him come around the chair and he saw the Nerf launcher that was his Santa gift. But he had only commented on Sara's bike and then brought Natalie's Santa gift to her.

Softly, Yvonne said "Sammy, I want you to turn around. Santa brought you something else."

She realized her mistake when Sam turned the opposite direction than she had intended. Yvonne saw the confusion his face as he tried to figure out what else Santa brought him.

William watched his son from the wingback chair. What he saw both filled him with pride and heartache.

His son had ignored the Santa gift. The launcher he had talked about for weeks and weeks Yvonne had said. Samuel had focused on his sisters and his mother before himself. Samuel's voice sounded happy but his body language showed he was sad.

It was Christmas. Samuel should be happy not sad.

Yvonne caught William's eyes. She lifted her hand and made her fingers go up and down against her thumb like you would do if you were working a sock puppet's mouth.

William looked at Yvonne in confusion. Oh! Duh.

His voice pitched softly, William said "Merry Christmas Samuel."

Sam spun in the other direction and his shocked eyes landed on the wingback chair that faced the tree. The chair he walked right past to see Sara's bike.

"DAD!" Sam yelled and raced toward the chair.

Sam launched himself at his father with the biggest, happiest, grin that lit up his entire face and shone in his eyes.

William caught a flying Samuel, just barely. His grin matched his son's grin. My god, Yvonne was right, Samuel had missed him as much as he had missed Samuel.

As William hugged Samuel, Sara turned and added her squeal of "Daddy!"

Then Sara raced to him too. William gathered Sara up into his lap along with Samuel. He was a happy, happy man this morning.

Sam settled into his dad's lap making room for Sara when she joined him.

It was a miracle. Dad was here. His eyes bright with wonder, Sam asked "How did you get here Dad?"

Sara's eyes were wide with joy as she exclaimed "Sammy, don't be silly. Santa brought him home like you asked." Then she looked at her daddy and asked "Did you get to ride in Santa's sleigh and was Rudolph pulling it?"

William started to tell Sara about riding in Santa's sleigh and all about the reindeer, even Rudolph. He winked at Yvonne and she smiled at him.

Yvonne looked on and her heart swelled with love seeing the kids in William's lap. She had gotten her Christmas wish. The family was all together and happy. And William had not corrected Sam twice for calling him dad.

Sam snuggled into the crook of his dad's neck as he listened to his dad's tall tale. He would not ruin it for Sara. In a way, Santa did bring his dad home for Christmas because Santa lived in all of their hearts.

William finished his story for Sara and she climbed down to go look at the other presents after giving her daddy a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

Sam was content to just sit in his dad's lap with his head laying on his dad's shoulder. The other presents were just things. What Sam really wanted he already got. Dad was here.

William shifted Samuel a bit so he could look into his son's eyes. He saw the innocence and pure joy in Samuel's eyes. It touched William's heart and soul. Samuel's eyes had always been so expressive.

He tousled Samuel's hair and smiled. William said "I have four days of leave. How about we play some chess and go to the gun range each day, just the two of us?"

Too happy to form words, Sam just nodded vigorously.

Then Sam realized that his dad did not correct him when he called him dad, twice. Sam's smile got bigger, if that was possible, at that thought.

Sam thought that this was the best Christmas ever! It was a miracle. Sam got what he truly wanted for Christmas ... something much better than a thing ... he got his Dad.

.

* * *

 _ **AN: Merry Christmas. This little story is my EARLY Christmas present to all my wonderful readers. **I hope you enjoyed it and that it brought a smile to your face. **I love to hear from my readers, drop me a quick review and let me know if you liked it.**_

 _I have plans to write **Sam's Second Christmas with Team One** too. It will be posted closer to Christmas._

 _Also looking to write a collection of twelve little really short stories titled **Twelve Days of Christmas, SRU Style**. It is starting to jell in my head and I plan to post a chapter a day beginning on the 12th. However, this might be a bit ambitious. _


	8. Butterflies and Turtle Doves

**Butterflies and Turtle Doves**

* * *

 _ **Setting:**_ _Sam and Jules are dating secretly and Sam finally decides to give Jules the butterfly necklace._

* * *

 _ **February 13 – Sam's Apartment – 10:00 p.m.**_

Sam quickly opened his dresser drawer. He only had a few moments to extract the box before Jules came in. He needed to slip it into his go bag before she saw him. Sam's hand curled around the velvety box that had been hidden in the back of his drawer for over two years.

He'd been waiting for the right time to give it to Jules. When they had gotten back together, after the Toth interrogation, he'd contemplated giving it to her then. But he'd held off because he didn't want to scare Jules away. He needed to know that she would not cut and run again before he laid his heart completely wide open again.

As he pulled out the box, Sam felt a fluttering in his stomach-butterflies, some would say. Fitting Sam thought. He closed the drawer and slipped the box into his bag just before Jules appeared at his bedroom doorway.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Jules asked.

Sam glanced up. "Just adding a few things to my go bag." He stood up and slung the bag over his shoulder. "I'm ready."

Jules yawned. "Good, I'm exhausted and tomorrow is going to be another crazy day. Especially with the rookie starting. Of all days to start-Raf's gonna get a rough initiation to SRU tomorrow."

Nodding, Sam agreed. "Yeah. I didn't believe you that first Valentine's day I was with the team. But after fielding non-stop calls that day, and the past two Valentine's days, I completely believe you." Then he teased Jules by adding, "Maybe it's all the extra chocolate that makes people go nuts."

Jules' eyes flashed in friendly challenge. "Not chocolate. Never chocolate. Chocolate soothes the soul. Probably the murder of all those innocent roses."

Sam draped his arm over Jules shoulders and pulled her close as they headed towards his apartment door. He still loved teasing her. Sam chuckled. "So … I should get you chocolate for Valentine's Day instead of roses?"

Jules snorted. "I don't celebrate that artificial day that card and flower companies created just sell more stuff."

"A bit cynical there, Jules."

"Maybe. But after what we see on Valentine's day. It's kinda hard to get into all the cutesy cupid arrows and hearts." Jules thought a moment about a call they had last Valentine's Day where a jilted lover shot her ex-boyfriend with a cross-bow. He'd died but they'd been able to save the new girlfriend before she met the same fate. Jules added, "Especially when we see the cupid arrows actually shot into hearts. Not pretty."

Sam nodded. Yeah, they saw some sick stuff on Valentine's Day. Outside his apartment, Sam stopped and removed his arm from Jules' shoulders to lock deadbolt. He wondered at his timing. He knew Jules wasn't into the whole Valentine's Day thing but he wanted to show her a different side of the day. What it could mean to them. That it could be a special day for them regardless of what they saw on the job.

He smiled at Jules and said, "That may be, but there are two sides. Dark and light."

Jules let Sam's comment roll around in her head a moment. He was more sentimental than her on certain things. She hooked her arm in Sam's as they headed to the stairs. Sam had the worst luck with elevators, he'd been stuck more than once in them, and they were too tired to chance getting stuck tonight. Jules grinned as she recalled the time she'd gotten stuck with Sam at his old apartment complex. That had been quite fun and fulfilled one of Sam's fantasies. One of her fantasies too, if she was being honest. But she wasn't up to a repeat tonight.

She sighed, "It's just another day, Sam. A busy one at that. Let's get home and get to bed."

Sam gave her a WOW smile. "In bed with you sounds good."

Jules smiled. "Not tonight soldier. Sleep only. I'm dead on my feet."

* * *

 _ **February 14 – Jules' Home – 4:00 a.m.**_

Sam lightly trailed kisses across Jules' cheek and down to her neck to her pulse point. He loved waking her this way. The dreamy quality of her eyes when they opened set his heart aflame and sent a surge of desire coursing through his body.

"Mmmm." Jules sighed as she became aware of the soft and tender warmth of Sam's lips on her neck. Her hands moved without conscious thought and gently stroked through his hair. God, she loved this man and waking this way was wonderful. She felt so loved under his ministrations. His hand move to her thigh and as the caresses moved upwards a quiver of anticipation rippled through her body.

Sam's gravelly, morning and passion infused voice said, "Morning, Beauty," as he lifted his head to gaze into her eyes.

Jules slowly opened her eyes knowing that Sam would meet hers. His blues eyes were already glazed and smoky with need. She loved that she could do that to him. They were so good together. Her hand reached for him and she felt he was ready, so ready. "Morning, Soldier. At attention, already."

"Hmmm, yeah. My CO does that to me. Permission to proceed with my mission Ma'am."

Jules smiled, "Permission granted."

Their lips locked and their kisses became hot and heavy as Sam slipped inside a ready Jules. Their love making started slow and built speed and intensity as the climbed the peak of passion together. They crested the top one right after the other and tumbled down as their bodies vibrated with release.

Sam rolled to his side taking Jules with him, not wanting to break their connection. He gazed at Jules. He was the luckiest man in the world. He'd found his beauty of life. She was forever in his arms. His heart beat for her alone and she held his soul in her hands.

Jules gazed at Sam and reached up to caress his cheek. "I love it when you wake me like that."

Smiling Sam replied, "I love waking you like that. Happy Valentine's Day."

She moved in close and kissed his lips gently then pulled back. "This is a gift I will never turn down regardless of the day. I hope you didn't get roses, it's sad to see all those beautiful flowers die."

Sam grinned. "No roses." He kissed Jules and then rolled away disengaging himself from her. He felt the instant loss of her. If he could he would stay connected to her always. Not practical but oh so desirable.

He stood and headed to his go bag. Sam felt Jules' eyes tracking his movements. He squatted down and unzipped his bag and palmed the box.

Jules watched Sam walk to his go bag and wondered what he was doing. She loved watching him move au-natural. He had a fluid grace to his movements and she loved watching his firm tight ass as he walked. Her eyes did not see the scars that littered his body. She didn't see the rather large one on his butt from when the glass impaled him at Gleason Mall or the small one that she didn't know how he got. No, she never saw his scars. All she saw was the man. The very sexy, hot man that knew how to pleasure her and that she loved very deeply.

Sam stood and turned. Jules was laying in his full view. God, she was beautiful, strong, confident and perfect. Sam moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. The hand that was not holding the box reached to Jules' back. His index finger traced the well-known butterfly tattoo. He knew the design intimately, he'd traced it so many times and thought of the day he could give her the necklace.

He held her eyes as he said, "No roses and I know you really aren't into Valentine's Day. But …" He brought his hand forward and opened it showing Jules the small velvet box. "I can't think of a better day to give this to you. You are so special to me Jules. Have been for a very long time."

Jules' eyes widened when she saw the box. Was Sam proposing? If he was, what was she going to say? It would mean one of them had to leave the team. She didn't think either of them were ready for that. Jules held her tongue and silently begged that it wasn't a proposal. If it was and she turned him down on Valentine's Day, God, that would be horrible.

Sam closed his eyes a moment gathering his thoughts. Then opened them and continued. "I like your butterfly tattoo. I know it will sound odd, maybe even a bit creepy. But I've always liked butterflies. Ever since I was a kid. Sara loved butterflies. She liked that they started out as an ugly worm and then transformed into a beautiful butterfly. When I helped her catch butterflies, Sara would always tell me to be careful of their wings. She wanted to look at them up close, but she always released them saying that nothing should be held against its will.

"When I think of butterflies, I think of you. Your love wrapped me in a cocoon and transformed me. Jules, I love you and I have a little something for you that I hope you like. Happy Valentine's Day." Sam opened the box and held it out for Jules to see.

Jules' first reaction upon seeing the necklace was, thank god it wasn't a proposal. But that was blown away when she recognized the butterfly necklace. Her eyes wide with surprise, Jules looked up into his smiling eyes. "Sam, … that's … that's the …"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. That's the necklace."

Disbelief coursing through her Jules reached out and touched the butterfly. She managed to ask, "How? It was gone when I went to buy it."

Sam's eyes widened with shock. "You went to go buy it?"

Jules bit her lower lip and inhaled sharply though her nose. She nodded. She blew out the breath then admitted, "I went back to Tourterelle Boutique several days after we were there. I wanted a special memory of that kiss."

Sam smiled as he took the butterfly necklace out of the box and opened the clasp.

Jules sat up and moved her hair out of the way as Sam reached around her neck to put the necklace on her. Once it was on Jules looked down at the butterfly as it lay on her chest. Her fingers reached up to touch it again. Then she looked up at Sam. "It's beautiful. Thank you." But then she realized he had not answered her question. "How? When?"

Leaning down, Sam kissed Jules gently and then pulled back. He gazed into her eyes and confessed. "I went back to Tourterelle Boutique that very night. I had to buy you the necklace, even though I never knew if I'd be able to give it to you."

Jules wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and pulled him to her. As their lips met, Jules knew in that moment that if and when Sam asked her to marry him, she would say yes without hesitation. Theirs was a love that nothing could part. Two hearts and bodies but one soul. They were truly a pair of turtle doves because they were mates for life.

.

* * *

 **AN:** As noted when I completed Sam's Second Christmas, most of my time has been focused on transforming my stories into a world of my own. I have completed and published the first book in my Beauty of Life series. It follows the world I have created here with necessary changes.

 **Now available as an ebook or paperback on Amazon**  
(note: ebooks can be read on computers, tablets and phones with a free reader app from Amazon - no Kindle required.)

 **FORSAKEN:** ** _On the Edge of Oblivion  
_ by Laura Acton**

Come meet Daniel William Broderick, Alexandra 'Lexa' McKenna, Jonathan Hardy, Nicholas Pastore, Dante 'Loki' Baldovino, Abraham De Haven, Raymundo Palomo, Tia Walsh, Walter Gambrill and Brody Mikhail Hunter. Delve into a complex world of courageous men and women riding a roller coaster of emotions and danger. Explore the nature of relationships and bonds developed and strengthened in the face of adversity.

 **Book Summary:**

Dan Broderick is on the edge of oblivion. After a friendly fire incident, his heart and soul were ripped to shreds. He chose to leave Special Forces when his unit, men he considered brothers, turned their backs on him. Dan returned to Toronto where he hoped to find the beauty of life and make a difference as a sniper for the Tactical Response Force. Will his new team pull him back from the edge or be the reason he slips into oblivion?

Alpha Team is the elite team of Toronto's Tactical Response Force. Five men and one woman with a rare familial bond, help each other cope with the dark side of humanity as they keep the citizens of Toronto and each other safe. Their team balance is knocked off kilter when an unwanted new member is forced on them. Will Alpha Team's resentment of the new member prevent them from recognizing the wounded soul in their midst before it's too late to save him?

* * *

 **FORSAKEN** **contains 80% new content** combined with some tweaked/expanded parts of previous stories. Forsaken begins with Dan's meeting with the General to exit the military. There is an all new way that Dan first meets the team and Lexa (JAM fans should like this way a lot).

 **Continue reading for a sneak peek of** **FORSAKEN:** _**On the Edge of Oblivion**_ **...**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 ** _July 10  
Afghanistan – General's Office_**

The barren, brown landscape within his view, exactly matched the wasteland where his heart used to be. He was an empty, scarred shell of desolation. Everything worth anything in him had been blown away on May twenty-sixth.

He couldn't bear the pain of living with what he'd done. After weeks of investigation, the review board had cleared him of fault, but he would never forgive himself. It was his fault no matter what anyone said. The guilt and remorse weighed heavy on him.

Brody was dead and it was his fault. His bullet had blown away the person that meant the most to him in this world. His best friend, his brother, the man that saw him for who he really was and accepted him, faults and all. The man that had saved him countless times and wouldn't let him fall into darkness was now dead, at his hand.

Master Corporal Daniel William Broderick stood at rigid attention before the General's desk as he waited for the General to join him in the office. The window to the outside world was the only place he allowed his eyes to go.

He didn't dare look at the desk. It would be a reminder that he had no one now. No one. He was alone again. Not that he needed a reminder, it was an ever-present thought in his head. One that was unrelenting, mocked him and demanded that he end it all.

No one would mourn him, like they mourned Brody. The world would be a better place without him. He was a failure in all ways that mattered. He failed to protect Sara, Brody, Ripsaw, Yankee, Shy, Buzz, Dutch, Gambit, Unicorn and a host of others. They were all dead because he failed.

The past six years had been purgatory, but at least he hadn't been alone. Brody and the unit had made it bearable. Now that was all gone. Brody was dead and his unit brothers had turned their backs on him. Not that he blamed them. He had committed the greatest sin of all, he'd killed one of their own.

He was back to being alone in this world. Everyone and everything he ever cared about was ripped from him once again. The first time it happened, he was only nine years old and his whole world changed one summer afternoon. Dan had lost everything dear to him in a blink of an eye when he failed to protect his little sister Sara. His parents abandoned him. His father wished it had been him that died instead of Sara.

And … for the past six years, his father had tried to kill him—of that he was sure. It was only through the efforts of his unit that he'd survived.

The deep aching pain of Brody's death threatened to overtake Dan again. He wished that he had access to a weapon, any weapon, so he could end the pain. But he'd been locked in a cell for the past six weeks which was devoid of anything he could use to end it. He'd also been watched by guards around the clock.

When in his cell, he was allowed nothing more than his t-shirt and shorts. There was only a mattress on the floor—they didn't even give him a cot. He was given only things that could be eaten without the use of utensils. His cell didn't even have a toilet. He had to ask to use a toilet and was escorted to the facilities by four armed soldiers who always looked at him with disdain.

He'd tried to escape once, hoping that they'd shoot him, but they only tasered him. They took joy in taunting him, calling him killer and murderer, and zapping him so many times that he'd blacked out. When he woke up, he was back in his cell. There was a new set of guards after that.

The new guards also looked at him with disdain. It was also mixed with pity. Disdain he could handle, he deserved that for what he'd done. Pity, on the other hand, he could not handle. Pity dredged up so many more horrific memories for him and made him want to kill the guards with his bare hands.

Dan pushed back down the memories of his three months of torture at the hands of terrorists that pity evoked. Those memories had been locked away for four years and needed to stay that way. Brody had helped him lock them away in a special place and move forward. The unit had helped too. Especially his unit Commanding Officer, Blaze.

Blaze had been the embodiment of a father that Dan so desperately wanted. It had taken time to build a bond and trust between them. Trusting was never easy for Dan after being discarded by his natural family. But he'd come to trust Blaze and thought of him as a father figure. The bullet that had blown away Brody, had also severed that bond of trust.

When Dan woke in the hospital six weeks ago, Blaze wouldn't even meet his eyes. None of the unit would. After confirming that Brody was dead, no one spoke a single word to him. After the first three days, they never came to visit him either.

Dan had felt a connection with each of his unit buddies. They were all brothers, their bonds forged in the fires of hell. Bonds that Dan thought could never be broken—but they had, his bullet blew those bonds away.

Everyone had deserted him again. And it was all his fault, just like before with Sara. His natural family and now his chosen unit family were gone. There was nothing left for him here. Nothing. He needed to leave—to go far away.

Dan clamped down on his deep, aching pain, grief and shame. He firmly affixed his mask. It wouldn't do to let anyone know the pain and guilt he felt—not that anyone would give a damn. But he needed his shields firmly in place so his weakness wouldn't show. Especially not to the General.

He could never allow the General to see his vulnerability. The man would use it against him. The General had been making his life hell for six years and Dan knew if he showed weakness, the General would twist the knife in deeper.

The General wanted him dead and had been trying to kill him for six years now. Somehow, he had always managed to survive, even when the odds were against him. General Broderick wanted him to die in service to his country so the General could maintain the illusion of family honor.

That fact was one of the reasons Dan wasn't dead yet. Oh, he wanted to die, there was no disputing that fact and he would eventually find a way to die and end his pain. But before he did that, Dan wanted to stick it to the General first—cause him some pain of his own in return for all the pain the General had caused him over years.

Ending his military career would be the first step in doing so. Dan would throw back into the General's face all that the General held dear. He would break with generations of family tradition and leave the military. The fact he was doing so under the cloud of being the one responsible for the death of a soldier in a friendly fire incident was simply icing on the cake. It had actually facilitated his early exit from Special Forces and the military.

As he continued to stand a rigid attention, Dan wished the General would hurry up and get in here. The faster he got this over with, the faster he could leave this place. He needed to leave and he needed to shed this tan uniform. A uniform that had renewed his life ten years ago—when he met Brody in boot camp—but then ended it six weeks ago when he killed Brody.

* * *

 _ **General's Office – Outer Office**_

General William Arthur Broderick strode into his outer office where all his staff were located. He'd been delayed by a critical meeting with Colonel Thomas Sutton. He disliked making Daniel wait but there was no way around it.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when the General strode in. What was happening today would be food for the gossip mill. Several of them thought they were lucky enough to have first row seats and were looking forward to the many beers would be bought for them tonight as they would recount what was about to happen.

For the past six weeks, gossip regarding the friendly fire incident that resulted in the death of Master Corporal Brody Hunter was rampant. It had shocked the Special Forces community. So many wanted to see Master Corporal Broderick brought up on murder charges and felt that Dan Broderick was being given special treatment because he was the General's son. Others were more compassionate. They were quick to defend Broderick's actions as an unfortunate accident.

It was clear from all accounts that Broderick had been given the all clear to fire. The only unknown was the how and why of Hunter's presence in the target zone. Many who wanted charges filed believed that Dan should've noticed that he was firing on a friendly. Especially since Hunter and Broderick were in the same unit.

Stopping in front of Corporal Merrill's desk, the General asked, "Do you have the paperwork ready for Master Corporal Broderick?"

"Almost, Sir," Corporal Cody Merrill stated as he stood. He held out the file to the General. "It has been prepared exactly as you requested. I just need to finalize the voluntary reactivation paperwork. It will take me a few minutes."

"Is the Master Corporal waiting in my office?"

Corporal Merrill nodded. "Yes, Sir. Been there for about twenty minutes."

General Broderick reached for the file.

As the General took the file from him, Merrill relaxed a bit, but only a bit. The General was an imposing man. He wasn't nicknamed Badass for nothing. The General was the epitome of military bearing, through and through. He was a hard man from everything Merrill could see and knew about the man.

His face didn't show his years, the chiseled angular lines and firm square jaw still attracted attention from females. Even in his mid-fifties, the General's military-cut hair was still golden blonde. Merrill thought that gray and white hairs were probably afraid of General Badass, so didn't dare try to sprout on his head. The General's eyes were a deep shade of sapphire blue that could, when the General was angry, freeze a soldier in his place with the piercing intensity. When the General dressed-down soldiers, his voice alone could cut a soldier to shreds, it could be icy and unyieldingly hard.

No one doubted the deadliness of General Badass. His physique was still muscular and well-toned—nothing had gone soft on the General. It was suggested he could probably still best many of the younger soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. General Broderick had been a Special Forces sniper before he was promoted to lead Special Forces. His record for distance, accuracy and speed had only been supplanted by his son, Master Corporal Broderick.

Merrill knew that General Broderick had come up through the ranks rapidly and became a Brigadier General at the age of thirty-four and a full General by forty. There was talk that his path had almost been guaranteed with the connections of his late father, Brigadier General Arthur Broderick.

The General looked a lot like his late father, just like the Master Corporal looked like a younger version of the General with a few slight differences. Merrill knew this because he had done his research and because the Broderick family was well known in military circles. They were a military family and were in every branch, Army, Navy and Air Force. For at least eight generations back, maybe even more, every Broderick male joined the military. They served with honor and distinction and either died in the field or were eventually forced to retire.

Not a single Broderick had ever left the military when they were still able bodied.

Until now.

Corporal Merrill watched the General head towards his office. The General's son was breaking with tradition and leaving the military. Merrill was glad of that. It resolved his problems. He wouldn't have to deal with Major Plouffe anymore. Cody was glad to be finally free of that man's machinations.


	9. Getting Over Charlie

**Getting Over Charlie**

* * *

 _ **Setting:**_ _Sam is seventeen and on a ski trip with Wilson, Buzz, and Dutch at the Blue Mountains.  
_ _ **Warning**_ _: This one is on the steamy side._

* * *

 _ **March 15 – Blue Mountain Ski Resort – Weider Express Lift**_

Sam watched the late afternoon scenery as he rode the lift up to the top of the North Glades runs. He was seated between Wilson and Dutch and next to Dutch was Buzz. This ski trip was turning out to be great. Buzz and Dutch were on leave and had talked Bella into allowing him to miss school to come skiing with them and their good friend Wilson, who was now Bella's security man.

He had turned seventeen last month and this sort of felt like a birthday present—not that he celebrated his birthday—but this was nice. They'd been here for four days now and they had three days left. The weather was great and the ski conditions were fantastic. Sam was having an awesome time. He was looking forward to telling Charlie and Jett all about it when he returned to Toronto.

At the thought of Charlie, Sam felt a small pang of loss. She was so special—his first girlfriend—his first kiss. But it wasn't meant to last. Her heart belonged to someone else. It was hard, really hard to let go and step aside for Jett.

Sam sighed. Jett was a true friend too. It had taken a long time, but eventually Sam had seen that Jett's heart held Charlie's. Those two were right for one another. Doing the right thing sucked big time. He missed all the time he used to spend with Charlie. Sure they still hung out, but it wasn't the same. No more stolen kisses when her family was out of the room as they studied. No more staring into her eyes for endless minutes. No more daydreaming what it would be like to do more than just kiss her. All that was off limits now that she was Jett's girlfriend.

He looked out again at the scenery and thought about missing this week of school. He got out of Mr. Wallach's endless boring monotone lectures on literature. That teacher could take the most interesting book and make it dry and boring. Poor Jett was having to sit through Mr. Wallach's dissertation on the Lord of the Flies.

Sam was certain everyone would be yawning and bored to tears even though the book itself was fantastic. He's read it years ago with his tutor Corporal Duffy and Duffy had made the book come alive. He was glad to miss that and thought again about poor Jett sitting in a stuffy classroom while he was out on the ski slopes having fun. Sam couldn't help grinning at that thought.

Retired Sergeant Wilson Keswick turned and looked at Sam. It was so good to see him smile. Sam had been in the doldrums ever since Charlie started dating Jett. That girl was a godsend and she had really helped Sam smile. But Sam had shared with him that even though he really liked Charlie, that he felt his friend Jett was what Charlie was really looking for. So Sam had stepped out of the picture.

Even though Sam was doing the right thing, according to Sam, Wilson could see that he was sad. Sam was clearly missing the time he spent with Charlie now that Charlie and Jett were together. So it was good to see him smiling again. Wilson asked, "What's got you grinning from ear-to-ear?"

Sam turned to Wilson and answered, "Just thinking how jealous Jett is going to be that I got to go skiing and he's stuck listening to Mr. Wallach drone on about the Lord of the Flies."

Master Corporal Basil 'Buzz' Barkle laughed and leaned forward to speak across Dutch. "Which run do you want to take this time?"

Sam thought a moment. He had graduated to the double diamond runs this trip with Dutch's instructions. "How about Lone Rider?"

Master Corporal Bas 'Dutch' Duchatteau nodded and then teased, "After that, how about Avalanche?"

Sam groaned. "Not on your life. One avalanche in a life time is enough. Not gonna press my luck." He recalled their skiing trip last year in Whistler where he was buried under an avalanche.

As the lift reached the top, the four got off and headed for the Lone Rider run. The adults let Sam take the lead and they headed down the run. Each of them were happy that Sam was enjoying himself as much as they were. The run to the bottom was uneventful and the group got on the lift again. They spent the rest of the afternoon skiing and having a grand time.

* * *

 _ **Blue Mountain Ski Resort – Weider Lodge Restaurant**_

Buzz gently squeezed Dutch's hand under the table. They were enjoying their down time. A time when they were away from the unit and able to share how they truly felt about each other. When they were with the unit, they shelved their personal feelings and behaved as only good friends. Both knew that there would never be anyone else for them—they were partners for life.

Their unit CO, Lieutenant Jackson 'Trigger' Spencer, was aware of their relationship, but kept it quiet. He was of the opinion that if the men did their job, who they loved and what they did on their own time was none of anyone else's business. Buzz thought that Trigger was a good man and appreciated his acceptance of them.

Dutch looked over at Buzz and grinned. "You up for hitting the slopes for some night skiing?"

"Sounds good," Buzz responded and then finished his last bite of steak.

Sam rolled his shoulders, they ached a bit. The double diamond runs took more effort. He took a drink of his coffee and said, "I'm wiped out."

Wilson chuckled. "Same here. How about I get us a couple of rooms here for tonight and we make use of the hot tubs. Would do my aching muscles good."

Grinning, Sam said, "That would be great."

Dutch and Buzz smiled. Time alone. That would be good. Buzz said, "Sounds like a plan. We'll just check at the desk for a room key when we're done skiing."

Sam looked at Wilson and said, "I don't have swim trunks or a change of clothes though."

"Thought of that already. Let's just make a stop in the store. I'm sure they will have everything we need," Wilson responded. Then he flagged down the waitress and ordered cherry cobbler for him and Sam as Buzz and Dutch headed back out to the slopes.

* * *

 _ **Blue Mountain Ski Resort – Store**_

Sam picked out a few items and then waited near the entrance as Wilson went to try on a pair of ski pants. He was enjoying watching all the beautiful ladies. Buzz called them snow-bunnies. Sam watched a couple of women as they passed the entrance of the store. He smiled at them when they turned and looked at him. He thought, maybe breaking up with Charlie wasn't so bad after all. Now he was a free man and allowed to look at other ladies.

He leaned lazily against the wall and watched three more snow-bunnies walk past—a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. They didn't look much older than him. Sam grinned as the brunette turned and looked back at him. He saw her return his smile. Oh, yeah! Being single again was a good thing.

* * *

 _ **Blue Mountain Ski Resort – Hot Tub**_

Wilson stretched languidly, the warm water of the hot tub had done wonders for his muscles. He was glad he suggested the change of venue. Emmett Haley's place was great, but with no electricity and small functional shower, there was nothing to relax his muscles like a hot tub.

He grinned and thought that his change of plans for tonight was a benefit for Sam too. He quietly watched as Sam interacted with a bunch of people more his own age. It was good to see the boy have fun. Sam was with a group of four other guys and a bevy of gals laughing and swapping stories of their day on the slope.

Wilson yawned and stood up. He walked over to Sam and said, "It's getting rather late, I'm going up. Don't stay out too much later. We need to be up early if we want to do some cross-country skiing at dawn."

Sam nodded. "Okay." He was surprised Wilson was letting him hang out alone. Usually he was stuck to him like glue when they went on trips.

After Wilson left, Sam turned back to the group. He was having fun. Most of the group were in college and he didn't let on that he was younger than them. He didn't lie, but he didn't offer up his age or that he was still in high school. They just assumed that he was older given that he was here. He was glad that Wilson hadn't hovered tonight—that would've ruined it. They would've known he was younger and then he would've been excluded.

As the group continued to talk, the guys and gals started pairing up. After another thirty minutes a few had wandered off together. Nineteen-year-old Lorelei Ravenswood had her sights set on the hot blond guy and moved a little closer to Sam. She toyed with the ends of her long raven hair as she turned to him. When his blue eyes turned and met with her dark brown eyes she was hard-pressed to hold in the sigh—but she did. Instead she asked, "So Sam, what do you plan to go into when you graduate?"

Sam assumed she meant college and simply answered, "I've decided to become a cop."

"Really, why?" she asked.

"It just seems the right fit for me." Then he gave her a WOW smile and joked, "Besides, the ladies dig guys in uniform."

Lorelei and the others laughed. She said, "I'm still not sure what I want to do. I think it's great you know. I still have three years to figure it out. When do you plan on starting the Police Academy?"

Sam thought about having to wait until he was eighteen and his smile faded a bit as he answered, "Next year."

Lorelei quickly calculated his age. He looked young, but if he was graduating next year, he had to be older than he looked. Sam had to be at least twenty-one. Good, she was afraid he was underage and that just wouldn't do. She put her hand on his arm and said, "Want to join me in the hot tub? I'm getting a little chilled sitting out here."

Standing up and grinning, Sam said, "Sure." Then he and Lorelei left the group which began dispersing in various directions.

Sam took off the heavy robe that the hotel supplied in the room Wilson had rented and slipped into the hot tub. He watched as Lorelei shrugged out of her robe. Her skimpy bikini clad body was perfection. Sam blatantly stared at her breasts. His seventeen-year-old body craved to touch them. He'd be dreaming about her breasts tonight for sure.

Lorelei slipped into the hot water and sighed. She dipped all the way under and came up wiping her raven hair away from her face. She smiled at Sam and hoped that he was as attracted to her as she was attracted him. Her body hummed thinking about being with him. Perhaps he might indulge her fantasy if she played her cards right.

Whoa, Sam's body came alive as he watched the water run off of Lorelei. It was so hot, a hot-blooded teens dream come true. Sam swallowed hard. He was nervous as she came and sat next to him, but he didn't want her to know that. Her eyes were liquid pools of chocolate and she moved in close to him. Sam had to fight the nervous response to pull back.

His mind raced for something to say, but he came up blank as Lorelei moved in closer to him. He glanced around the pool and hot tub area and saw that it was empty now. It was well past eleven based on the big clock on the wall.

Sam turned back to Lorelei and was going to say it was rather late, but he was saved from making inane conversation when Lorelei's lips descended on his. Her lips were soft and Sam found himself kissing her back. His hand went to the back of her head and pulled her closer to him as he increased the pressure. Wow, he'd never kissed anyone besides Charlie and he was the one to always instigate it. This was so cool—she kissed him.

Lorelei couldn't believe her luck. The hot blond didn't pull away from her—he pulled her closer. God, he was a good kisser. She moved in closer and melded her bikini clad breasts to his incredible chest. When he had taken off his robe, she had nearly lost it. He was so muscular and had ripped abs. She wanted those arms to hold her. She couldn't resist any longer and let her hands rove over his chest as she kissed him.

Kissing her was a dream, Sam thought as he became bolder. He let his tongue slip into her mouth—something he rarely did with Charlie. Sam was emboldened again when her tongue darted against his. Then her hands were on his chest. He felt himself harden. Oh god, he hoped she couldn't tell. He was glad the water covered him.

Wanting to be closer and feel his hands on her, Lorelei reached behind her and pulled the string of her bikini top. It loosened and fell away from her breasts. She reached for Sam's hand and guided it to her bare breast.

Sam sucked in a sharp breath as his hand covered her breast. He softly kneaded it, not really sure what to do. He'd never touched a bare breast before. He'd brushed up against Charlie a few times, but he knew she would never let him touch her like this. He liked the feel of the supple skin. He ventured to rub her nipple and heard Lorelei moan. It wasn't a pained moan, it was like she enjoyed it. So he rubbed some more and she moaned into his mouth again.

Lorelei moaned as Sam played with her breast, she moaned again as his other hand covered her other breast. His hands were exquisite and knew just the right amount of pressure to apply. After a bit, she let her hand rove from his abs down to his groin. Yes! Oh God, yes. He was hard. Her fantasy might just come true.

She pulled back from kissing his mouth and trailed kisses to his ear. She whispered, "Make my fantasy come true. Let's do it here."

Sam sucked in a breath. Did he hear her right? He swallowed hard. His voice was gruff and low, "You want to do it here?"

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "You're ready, I'm so ready, no one's here. I'm on the pill so no worries." She rubbed him through his swim trunks causing him to harden more.

His heart was racing a mile a minute. She wanted to have sex. Here. Now. He hardened more at just the thought. He smiled and awkwardly reached down to touch her bikini at the apex of her thighs. She rubbed herself against his hand. God!

In the next moment, Sam found his swim trunks lowered and Lorelei straddling him. He felt her bare skin rub against his length. He nearly lost it. Lorelei leaned down and captured his lips again. He concentrated on kissing her as his hand roamed to caress her smooth bottom.

Their kissing became hot and heavy as Lorelei rubbed her body against him. She was waiting for him to take her, but Sam was taking it slow—she was beyond frustrated. She wanted to feel him inside. Damn, he was good at getting her hot and bothered. He must have lots of experience.

Sam was reeling inside. What the hell was he supposed to do? Could he really do this here? Lorelei was driving him mad. He wanted to, really wanted to. His hands continued to caress up and down her back to her bottom and roved to her breast as he kissed her.

He glanced around and saw that the area was still empty. It would be so embarrassing if someone came upon them. God, what if Wilson came looking for him? Sam started to pull back at that thought.

Lorelei felt Sam pull back a bit and decided it was up to her. He seemed a little shy about doing it in the hot tub. She wanted her fantasy to come true. So she took matters into her own hands. She lifted herself and then guided him into her. His moan of pleasure was music to her ears. She started as a slow pace.

Sam moaned. Holy shit! He stiffened his entire body when Lorelei took him in. He'd never felt anything like it before—velvety soft, tight, and warm—heaven. Then she started to move and he thought he'd explode right then and there. His breaths became ragged as she continued to move. Then his body responded in a primal instinct and began to move in rhythm to hers.

She rode the lift to the top of the mountain and moaned deeply into Sam's mouth as she crested the peak. Her body shuddered with release as he continued to move within her.

The pulsing sensation around him drove Sam to thrust harder and faster. His whole body stiffened as he felt himself reach a point he'd only ever felt with his hand before. He thrusted once more and felt the explosion as it racked his body. It was hundreds of times better this way—holy shit. His body pulsed as he thrust several more times as his climax continued longer than ever before.

He was breathless as his body shuddered the last time. He looked into Lorelei's chocolate pools and smiled. He would never forget her lovely face or eyes. She was his first. Sam kissed her and softly confessed, "I'll never forget my first time, Lorelei. That was fantastic, better than I imagined. Thank you."

Lorelei's eyes widened in shock. She breathed out, "Your first time?"

Sam's face tinged red. "Yeah."

She blinked rapidly a few times. Then she smiled. "I would've never known if you didn't say anything. Thanks for making my fantasy come true. It's even more special now." Lorelei leaned down and kissed him tenderly.

They remained in the hot tub, kissing and touching for a long time after. No one came into the pool area and disturbed them. Lorelei let Sam explore all of her body and told him what made her feel good, where to touch and where to suckle to drive her wild. She explored him too and the second time they came together was just as good as the first.

When Sam finally got out of the hot tub he knew he had gotten over Charlie. He kissed Lorelei again and then walked her to her room. He declined her offer to stay the night because he knew Wilson would be looking for him if he didn't show up soon.

The smile that was plastered on his face as he walked to his room was huge. He liked sex. He liked it a lot.

The Sinner was born that night …

.

* * *

 **AN:** Hope you enjoyed Sam's first time and the birth of the Sinner.

Needed a short break from editing BELONGING: Hope, Truth and Malice. It will be finished and published on May 8th.

To get the most enjoyment out of BELONGING you will want to read FORSAKEN and SOLACE before BELONGING since it's a serial and the three books take you through Dan's first year with the team.

If you missed out on getting your free copy of FORSAKEN, you can find the it and SOLACE on Amazon for only $2.99 (USD) – **less than the price of Dan's favorite large Iced Capp form Timmy's.** Just search for **Laura Acton** on Amazon and you will find both books.

 **\- FORSAKEN: On the Edge of Oblivion** (Beauty of Life, Book One)

 **\- SOLACE: Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book Two)

\- Coming May 8th: **BELONGING: Hope, Truth and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book Three)

\- Work in Progress: **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book Four)


	10. Negotiation and Fault

**_Negotiation and Fault_**

* * *

 ** _Braddock Family SUV_**

Jules gripped the steering wheel tightly and blew out a frustrated breath that flipped her bangs up. Her tone brooked no argument when she stated, "Not another word out of any of you. When we get home, you will all sit down at the negotiation table and resolve this." She followed her statement with a glare only a mother can produce as she viewed her three recalcitrant children in the back seat of the SUV. Jules opened the door after hearing nothing but silence—blessed silence for two seconds.

Ten-year-old Sadie glared at her brothers. She wanted to bawl them out but she wasn't about to get in more trouble with mom so she crossed her arms, pursed her lips tightly, and turned her head to stare out the window. Little brothers could be so annoying—especially when they teamed up to bug her—which they did often. Rat One and Rat Two would get it when she got them to the negotiation table. She reigned supreme at that. They'd be writing out their confession and doling out a fitting punishment to themselves soon enough.

Seven-year-old Donny's and Jimmy's expressions were as identical as they were—resolute and angry. Sadie was not going to win at the negotiation table this time. This time it was all her fault and they would make sure she owned up to it and had a fitting punishment.

Jules closed the door and walked to the gas pump enjoying the respite from arguing children. They had been at each other all morning. Summertime was nice but sometimes the kids just got on each other's nerves over the silliest things—as was the case right now.

The negotiation table was a godsend because the kids learned how to resolve their differences in a calm and rational manner. No yelling or arguing was allowed at the table. Whoever was involved had to agree on one story and write it down. Then they determined a solution and a spokesperson. Once everyone was in agreement they would present the story and resolution. If anyone interrupted or disagreed with the spokesperson they were sent back to the table until one story was agreed upon.

As Jules dug out her card to swipe in the gas pump she grinned. The resolutions they came up with were rather interesting and were more like punishments, but the kids were the ones that came up with them and agreed to them. It was a great way to stay out of having to hear multiple version of she did, he did and try to decide who was right and what to do about it—and the kids developed negotiation skills in doing it.

Jules swiped her card and the pump didn't accept it. After five more tries she opened the door and said, "I'm going inside to run the card, the pumps not reading. I expect you all to sit quietly. I can see you from inside." She closed the door and headed for the small convenience store of the Gas-N-Go gas station.

Jimmy watched his mom until she got to the door and then turned on Sadie. "You owe me a new ball."

"I do not!" Sadie replied.

"It was your fault it popped," Donny growled.

Sadie turned back to her brothers and pinned them with a hard look. "I'm not the one that left the ball outside."

"Yeah, but you were the one that popped it," Jimmy retorted. "You're gonna buy me a new one or I'm gonna—"

"You're gonna what?" Sadie interrupted as she clenched her fist.

"If you punch me I'm gonna tell Dad and you are gonna be in biiiiigggg trouble," Jimmy stated.

The sibling's argument resumed its heated pace as they bickered back and forth over whose fault it was that the ball popped. It was so acrimonious that none of the three saw a car pull up to the convenience store and four thugs jump out and rush into the store.

* * *

 ** _Inside Gas-N-Go_**

Jules was waiting in line behind three other customers for her turn. The cashier was young and clearly new. The transactions were taking a long time because he hunted and pecked for the right keys and apologized many time for it taking so long.

As the door opened, Jules turned to check on her kids once again but was surprised when four young adults with ski masks on rushed in and brandished weapons as they yelled to fork over the cash. Jules hoped that everyone remained calm and didn't do anything stupid. That hope died instantly as one of the customers pulled a gun.

Pointing his gun at the would-be robbers, Carter shouted in a shaky voice, "Drop your weapons."

The gunshot that sounded caused Jules to flinch. She watched as the customer slumped to the ground.

"Anyone else want to be a hero?" the one who had fired shouted.

Another lowered his weapon as he cried out, "You shot him. You killed him. It wasn't supposed to go like this. Man, that's murder."

"It's only in the leg—he's not dying," the shooter retorted.

The other two moved towards the cashier.

Billy had hit the silent alarm the moment the men came into the store. He hit the register and it popped open. His voice was tense and scared as he said, "Take it. Take and go. No one wants to be a hero."

At the same time Billy opened the register, Carter lifted his weapon as he lay on the floor and shot one to the robbers. He then fell unconscious.

The three remaining robbers stared as their friend fell to the floor screaming. They heard the car they'd arrived in screech as it pulled away. They were left hanging.

* * *

 ** _Braddock Family SUV_**

Sadie, Donny, and Jimmy froze when they heard the first gun shot. When they heard the second shot, Sadie scrambled to pull out her phone as she urgently directed her brothers, "Quick, hide on the floor." And she followed suit as she pressed speed dial for her Dad.

When it picked up, Sadie whispered, "Dad, there were two gunshots." She heard a car screech away and peeked up in time to see a red car with a mismatched blue door pull out of the parking lot. "Mom's inside."

Sam was rushing to Winnie's desk as he asked, "Sadie, where are you?"

"Gas-N-Go near our house." Sadie ducked back down when she saw someone run from the store. The third gunshot had her cry out, "Daddy, hurry."

Winnie had hit the klaxon alarm and Team Three was racing to gear up. She then transferred Sadie's call to the headset so the entire team could hear.

Sam kept his voice calm even though inside he was a mess, "Lock the doors and stay down. I'll be there very soon."

* * *

 ** _Inside Gas-N-Go_**

Jules couldn't believe how quickly the situation devolved. She remained still and quiet. The gunmen were trigger happy and one of them had shot at the car as it pulled away. She was watching closely to see if there was any way to deescalate the situation.

The three who were left standing were nervous and there wasn't a clear leader among them. One had dropped to his knees to put pressure on the one who was shot in the leg and withered in pain on the ground. One had come back inside after shooting at the retreating car. The third was pulling all the money from the till and shoving it into his pockets.

Jules glanced outside at the SUV and couldn't see the heads of her kids. She hoped they ducked and then called Sam. Next, she glanced at mister hero—what he'd done was stupid. She could see his chest rising and falling but he'd need a doctor soon by the amount of blood that was pooling.

She was drawn back to the subjects as the one on his knees said, "We need to get a car and get out of here."

The one shoving the money in his pockets looked at the customers. He pointed at them one at a time as he demanded, "What car are you driving?"

An older woman who was first in line visibly shook as she answered, "The golf cart, I was here to buy milk only."

Second in line was a man wearing a leather jacket and he said, "Motorcycle."

Skipping the unconscious man, the subject pointed at Jules.

Jules calmly answered, "SUV but it's completely empty—coasted into the gas station on fumes, haven't filled up yet." It was mostly true, she had a quarter of a tank, but Sadie, Donny, and Jimmy were in there and she wanted her vehicle to appear a bad choice.

The one that shot at the car moved forward to the customer on the floor as he pointed the gun at Jules. "Find his keys."

Jules slowly complied as she went to her knees. She reached into one pocket and didn't find keys. She reached into the other pocket and was withdrawing a set of keys as she kept her eyes towards the subject. She rose and held out the keys and she relaxed slightly as she saw Sam making his way to their SUV. The kids were safe.

The shot subject said through clenched teeth, "How do we know what car the keys go to?"

* * *

 ** _Outside Gas-N-Go_**

Sam moved forward with Rollie and Mike and each were holding shields. The first order of business was to get his kids to safety. Lance was locating a Sierra One position while Tyler and Phil were trying to tap into the stores security system to see what was going on inside. Once he was in position, Sam said to Sadie. "Unlock the doors now, Sadie."

He lifted the handle and opened the door just wide enough for his children to slip out. Sam took Sadie, Rollie got Jimmy, and Mike picked up Donny and then closed the door of the SUV. The six of them made it safely back to the SRU SUVs and behind them.

Sam gathered his kids in a group hug for a moment. He ruffled Donny's and Jimmy's blond hair and gently caressed Sadie's cheek. "You did good. Now I need you to go with the uniform officer. She will take you to Aunt Shelly's. You be good for her."

Sadie looked at her Dad. "I want to stay here … Mom …"

Sam pulled her into a hug. "Your mom knows how to handle herself."

Donny's eyes teared up. "But there were three gunshots."

Sam watched as Jimmy's and Sadie's eyes teared up. Not knowing what was going on inside he couldn't give them false platitudes. Earnestly he said, "Your mom is the best negotiator I know and the SRU is here now. I need you to go somewhere safe so I can focus and do my job."

Sadie bit her lower lip and wiped her eyes. She held out her two hands to her brothers. "Let's go. Daddy and Mommy need to connect, respect, and protect."

Jimmy and Donny took Sadie's hand and the three of them walked to the patrol car with the officer.

Sam took one last glimpse at his kids and sighed in relief. If Jules was hurt or worse he didn't want his kids to see and be traumatized witnessing it here. He turned and strode off to join Rollie and the rest of the team. His thoughts turned to Jules for a moment and he begged the powers that be that she was okay.

* * *

 ** _Inside Gas-N-Go_**

Jules breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Sam whisk the kids to safety. She turned to the subjects and answered their question, "It had a security fob on it. Press the button and it will make a sound."

She thought the best thing to do would be to get the subjects outside away from the customers since SRU was already positioned outside. So she added, "You should go now—before the police show up."

The man with the keys pressed the button as he turned and looked outside. He grinned. "It's a van. Grab Owen and let's get out of here."

Two of the subjects picked up the injured one and all four rushed out the door towards the van.

Jules dropped to the floor and stripped off her top shirt leaving only her tank top on and then pressed it into the wound in the customer's leg as she looked up at the leather jacket customer and said, "Hold this in place."

When he knelt down and took over, Jules asked the cashier, "Is there a key to lock the door?"

The cashier nodded, reached under the counter and tossed her a key ring. Jules quickly moved forward to lock the door on the off chance one of the subjects tried to reenter. As she locked it she saw that was a moot point and quickly unlocked it.

* * *

 ** _Outside Gas-N-Go_**

Team Three went into action when four masked men exited the store and ran towards a white panel van. Two were hindered carrying one injured man. The fourth one bolted, but Sam poured on speed and took him down before he reached the van. Very quickly all four subjects were cuffed and on the ground.

Sam looked up to see Jules exiting the store with bloody hands. His heart skipped a beat thinking it was her blood, but then she smiled at him and relief flooded in—it wasn't hers.

Jules got to Sam quickly, "We need EMS inside. One man shot in the leg."

Sam relayed that to Winnie and then looked at Jules. He was on the job so showing his emotions wasn't a good thing. He asked, "You alright?"

"I'm okay. The kids alright?" Jules answered.

Sam nodded. "I sent them to Wordy's."

"Good."

Unable to hold back, Sam closed the distance between them and pulled Jules into a hug. It surprised him that she allowed it while he was working—they normally kept everything very professional so no one could accuse them of any favoritism. Sam felt the small shuddered and wasn't sure it was Jules or himself—it was probably both of them.

Softly, Sam said, "Sorry, I should've filled up the SUV yesterday."

Jules' head whipped up. "Oh no, you don't. Don't you go there. This is NOT your fault." Then she caressed his face. "Thank you for protecting them."

Seeing the familiar look in Jules' eyes—she was blaming herself. Sam shook his head and replied, "You can't go there if I can't go there. This isn't your fault either." He leaned down and gently kissed her, but pulled back before he could get sucked into the passion fog that always came with kissing Jules.

* * *

 ** _Braddock Home_**

Several hours later, the five members of the Braddock family entered their home. Sam closed the door, dropped his go bag by it, and armed the security system. Then he followed his family into the kitchen. At the entry of the kitchen Sam stopped and watched his family. He was a lucky man—fate was kind to him to allow him to have Jules and his children in his life and he was so glad everyone was home safe and sound tonight.

Jules opened the bags of take-out Chinese food and set it around at their places as Sadie, Donny, and Jimmy got utensils, napkins and drinks for everyone. When they all were settled at the table, Jules took a moment to look at Sam and her children and counted her blessings. Everyone was home safe again.

Sadie looked at her mom and said, "We did the negotiation table at Uncle Wordy's house. We are all going to pitch in to buy a new ball because we all were at fault."

Sam snorted then burst out laughing— _Braddock's were good at believing they were at fault_.

Jules realized what Sam was laughing about and joined in his laughter.

The kids stared at their parents with open mouths wondering what was so funny.

.

* * *

AN: I needed a small break from editing **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood and Beauty** \- so I wrote this little story. I can tell you that all the content for OUTLIER is written and I'm now in the editing process. It will take a bit of time to edit it because it is the longest book so far with apprx 460 printed pages (202,500 words). Seeing that the original second half of Belonging was about 60,000 words **the story** will contain **over 70% NEW content**. I'm still hoping to get OUTLIER published by early- to mid-July

Until then … if you haven't had the chance to check out my published version of the Beauty of Life series, you have the chance to catch up by reading the first three books of the series before the fourth is out in July.

The **Beauty of Life series** takes my original fanfiction stories and revamps them—with **tons of new content** and **expanded story lines** while still keeping the same heart and familiar feel of my fanfiction stories.

The first three books in my **Beauty of Life series** are **available** as **ebooks** or **paperbacks** on **Amazon** — **just search for Laura Acton** in books.

 **The ebook versions are only $2.99 (USD) – less than the price of Dan's favorite iced capp.**

 _If you don't have a Kindle—no problem—just download Amazon's free reader app—it works on phones, tablets, and computers_.

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read them for FREE, too. And I think Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Kindle Unlimited (where available) which is even better for you if you want to read all three in one month :)

 **Beauty of Life series**

 **\- FORSAKEN: On the Edge of Oblivion** (Beauty of Life, Book One)

 **\- SOLACE: Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book Two)

 **\- BELONGING: Hope, Truth and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book Three)

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book Four)

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book Five)

You can visit **Amazon** and search for **LAURA ACTON** in Kindle Books to **read the first few chapters** of **each book** with the look inside feature.

Come meet **Daniel** **William Broderick** , Alexandra **'Lexa'** McKenna, **Jon** Hardy, **Nick** Pastore, **Loki** Baldovino, **Bram** De Haven, **Ray** Palomo, **Tia** Walsh, **Brody** Mikhail Hunter and the rest of **your favorite characters** (General Broderick, Yvonne, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Mason, Patch, Winds, etc.). Delve into a complex world of courageous men and women riding a roller coaster of emotions and danger. Explore the nature of relationships and bonds developed, tested, and strengthened in the face of adversity as they seek to find the beauty of life.

If you like all the details, twists, turns, and connections of my fanfiction – then you'll love the books — they're filled with them.

If you're a JAM fan become a LAN fan – come fall in love with Dan and Lexa. Their relationship has all the passion of JAM with a new exciting and hot way they first meet. Their relationship has a surprising beginning that turns into a slow burning build of their soulmate connection—it's quite a ride.

If you love the Team, the General, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Patch, Winds, Mason, and the rest of the cast of characters, you should enjoy the new Beauty of Life series—they get more time than before.


	11. Wheelchair Races

**Wheelchair Races**

* * *

This is a tiny taste of new content that you will find in the fifth published book in my Beauty of Life series, PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire.

The 5th book is near complete, hoping to publish in the next couple of weeks. Currently, it is at 60 chapters and 531 pages and will grow a bit more as I still have new content to add. PURGATORY takes a slightly different spin on the first half of my fanfiction story ROMCB (before they go on the mission to save Dom's girls).

The book has well over 70% new content and covers his first year and a half in Special Forces and expands on the rehab, showing how the bonds were formed. It will have more twists and turns and you will get to see his struggle to come back. The book will start in the present day, continuing from OUTLIER, but then delve deeply into his history, told in real time rather than flashback format (below is an example). It will come back to present day and lead into his second Christmas (book 6).

Enjoy this little sneak peek of PURGATORY.

* * *

 **March 21 - Base Hospital – Waiting Area**

A grin played on Sam's face as he rocked his wheelchair back and forth. Today he should be released from this damned thing. He glanced at Matt who was flipping through an old magazine as they waited for his appointment with Dr. Parker. The rest of the guys, except Patch, stood off in one corner.

Patch was currently in with Dr. Parker going over his medic recertification test results. Sam was certain Patch passed with flying colors. Winds chatted up one of the nurses. Mason and Ripsaw were deep in a discussion slash argument on who would win next round of darts. Sam smirked. It would be him and not them. He had an incentive they didn't. A sketch of the grape man was taped to the center of the dart board, and he never missed.

Sam's gaze landed on Blaze. Sometime within the past week, he had come to rely on Blaze's strength. Measuring up in his eyes became extremely important. Sam still wasn't sure what changed, but there was a subtle shift in how he viewed Blaze which was different than the rest of the guys. The one thing he recognized was he felt safe around Blaze—protected. Something he needed and craved.

As one of the orderlies parked an empty wheelchair in the waiting area, Sam tracked him. His grin increased as he turned to Matt. "Race ya."

Matt looked up from the magazine. "What?"

"Race ya."

"I'll win. You're still confined to the chair until the doc gives you the a-okay and even then you aren't doing any running."

Sam pointed to the empty wheelchair. "Race ya."

Matt followed Sam's finger and laughed. He set down the magazine as a broad smile grew. "Well, we were going to wait until we were in the old folk's home, but I guess we can set the baseline now. What do I get when I win?"

"No, the right question is what do you give me when I win," Sam retorted cockily.

Laughing Matt went to the wheelchair and sat down. "So sure you'll win?"

"Yeah, I have more practice. Besides, I'm faster than you."

"On your feet, but this is a chair."

Ripsaw nudged Mason, and both turned to watch. "This should be fun."

Sam rolled up to Matt. "So one lap. Loser buys the winner a beer."

"You can't drink yet. But at least you can buy me one when I smoke your ass." Matt adjusted in the seat and rolled forward to line up with Sammy in the hallway.

"Rain check. And you'll be the one sucking in my smoke because you'll be behind me the whole way." Sam gave Matt a lopsided grin.

Blaze noticed what the boys were up to and rolled his eyes. Clearing his throat, he said, "Just don't run into anyone or break anything."

Matt and Sam turned to Blaze then to each other. Their silent communication said 'no promises.'

Mason sauntered over. "On your mark, get set, GO!"

Both jolted forward in the chairs, their arms working fast to spin the wheels. Sam took an early lead on the straightaway down the hall. He glanced behind him. "You're slow. You need Ripsaw to push you?"

Matt poured on the speed and managed to close the gap. He smiled as Sammy glanced behind him again. Matt would pass him because Sam didn't notice the cart which was just pushed out of a doorway directly into his path. He laughed. "Heads up, Sammy boy."

In his peripheral vision, Sam glimpsed the cart barely in time. He put on the brakes holding the wheels to slow himself and managed to turn, so he didn't crash into the cart. Matt sped ahead of him laughing his ass off.

Blaze cringed at the near miss. He grumbled, "Overgrown kids."

Winds turned his attention from the lovely nurse at Blaze's comment. He chuckled. "Papa Bear lost control of his cubs?"

Rounding the corner, Matt yelled, "Move, move, coming through." Orderlies scattered, plastering themselves against the walls.

Hot on Matt's tail Sam saw his opening. He gave the wheel an extra hard push and came alongside Matt. He turned and gave Matt an evil grin. "Enjoy your snack." Then he pushed hard again and bumped into Matt's chair sending Matt off to the right, straight for a table filled with bags of chips. Sam sailed into the lead.

Matt crashed into the table and bags of chips went flying, several landing in his lap. Not to be deterred, Matt turned the chair and dug down deep, and his hands rapidly worked the wheels. He was gaining on Sam. "You haven't won yet."

Mason, Ripsaw, Winds, and Blaze heard both Blondie and Matt laughing though they could no longer see them. All four cringed at the sounds of several things crashing to the floor and both Blondie and Matt shouting, 'sorry.'

Neck in neck, Sam and Matt sped down the hallway after knocking over several empty IV stands in addition to a few other items. They bumped into one another trying to make each other to crash into the wall or other obstacles they had to maneuver around.

Nurses, orderlies, patients, visitors, and a few doctors now lined the halls watching the wheelchair race, which turned into more of a demolition derby. Most observing wore smiles, a fun break in the monotony and seriousness which veiled the hospital on a regular basis. The laughter of the two racers was infectious.

Rounding the third corner, and starting for the home stretch, both Matt and Sam pumped their arms fast and furious. Three-quarters of the way down the hall it looked like the race would end in a tie.

Patch finished reviewing the results of his medic recertification test with Dr. Parker. He opened the door, and the sounds of familiar laughs brought a smile to his face. Patch stepped out into the hall when Dr. Parker called his name. He turned back to the doctor, as Blondie shouted, "Patch, move!"

Sam didn't want to plow into Patch and possibly hurt him. With little time to react, Sam yelled at him then yanked on the wheel and careened to the left. As Sam tried to avoid Patch, Matt needed to avoid running into the beautiful medical tech Elise. He yanked his wheel and veered to the right.

The wheelchairs rammed into each other. Given the speed and the off-kilter positions, the chairs tipped and dumped their occupants unceremoniously to the tile floor. Sam and Matt rolled as one in a tangle of arms and legs, both laughing the entire time.

They came to a stop with Sam lying on top of Matt. The brothers grinned at each other, and simultaneously said, "I win!" Matt and Sam devolved into laughter again as the guys, Dr. Parker, and Elise gathered around them.

Jasper stared down at the two young men, hard pressed not to break into chuckles himself. If someone told him two months ago Sam would be laughing and smiling, he wouldn't have believed them. He beheld a real miracle.

He tried for stern, but humor edged its way into his voice as he said, "Damn good thing I'm releasing you from the wheelchair today or I'd be treating you for new injuries." He glanced down the hall and added, "And probably a few others."

Matt and Sam both blushed as they saw the congregation of people at the end of the hall and the mess they made.

Sam's eyes gleamed as he stared at Matt. "No more chair!"

"No more chair!" Matt restated. "Now, get off me and stand on your feet."

Several sets of hands reached out to haul both Sam and Matt up. Once standing Sam scanned the guys. Without them, he wouldn't have made it this far. He still had a long way to go, but with their help, he would achieve his goals.

Sam turned to the doctor. "Thanks, Doc."

Blaze crossed his arms and stated firmly, "First order of business, go clean up your mess."

Where the words came from, Sam didn't know but he a little rush of warmth spread through him as he replied, "Yes, Dad." He promptly blushed when Matt's mouth gaped open. He cleared his throat and quickly said, "Yes, sir."

Blaze chuckled.

Mason and Winds shared a knowing look. Papa Bear and Goldilocks both recognized the shift in their relationship.

Jasper said, "Come into exam room two when you're finished picking up."

"Yes, sir." Sam and Matt responded together and ambled down the hall to set to rights the stuff they knocked over. They began to banter about who won the race.

Once they were out of earshot, Jasper turned to Blaze. "Your main challenge now will be to rein him in. Sam still has a way to go. His density scans show marked improvement, but running is still out of the question at the moment.

"He needs to continue to eat, more now than ever as the therapy sessions will increase in intensity and he will burn off more calories. We don't want him backsliding on the weight he has regained. I have instructed Private Tate to prepare a selection of non-perishable food items for you to keep in the barracks. Encourage Sam to eat."

Mason said, "He likes protein bars. Perhaps we should grab a box from the PX."

"Which ones?" Jasper asked.

"The fruit and nut one. He's not fond of the chocolate ones. They tend to melt and are messy in the field," Patch said.

"I'll make sure Tate includes them. If you will excuse me now, Sam should be ready to leave in about thirty minutes." Jasper turned and strolled towards exam room two.

Winds righted Blondie's wheelchair. "Good riddance to you!" He pushed the chair against the wall.

Mason picked up the other one. "Made me happy to hear him laugh. Closer to the Blondie we all recognize."

Ripsaw leaned on the wall. "Yeah, I agree. Their laughter is magnificent. He still has a way to go, but I think we need to do something to celebrate his milestone tonight."

"The kid can't drink yet. Got any ideas that don't include the bar?" Blaze asked.

Ripsaw shook his head. "Not much to do, especially since PT wears him out and he dislikes going out in public."

As they strode to the waiting room, Winds said, "We could play pin the tail on the jackass. I still have a few photos of Murphy we could use."

Blaze chuckled. "Murphy is a one. I'll grant you that. But I don't think a game which involves blindfolds would be appropriate for Blondie at the moment. Might trigger memories."

Winds sighed. "I didn't think of that. Well, we can always play darts again and pin Murphy's face to the center."

"How about we try and round up a movie? One we haven't watched a ballizion times," Patch suggested.

As the guys sat in the waiting area, they thought on how to celebrate Blondie ditching the wheelchair.

.

* * *

The **Beauty of Life series** takes my original fanfiction stories and revamps them—with **tons of new content** and **expanded story lines** while still keeping the same heart and familiar feel of my fanfiction stories.

The first four books in my **Beauty of Life series** are **available** as **ebooks** or **paperbacks** on **Amazon** — **just search for Laura Acton** in books.

 **The ebook versions are less than the price of Dan's favorite iced capp.**

 _If you don't have a Kindle—no problem—just download Amazon's free reader app—it works on phones, tablets, and computers_.

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read them for FREE, too. And I think Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Kindle Unlimited (where available) which is even better for you if you want to read all of them in one month :)

 **Beauty of Life series**

 **\- FORSAKEN: On the Edge of Oblivion** (Beauty of Life, Book One)

 **\- SOLACE: Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book Two)

 **\- BELONGING: Hope, Truth, and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book Three)

 _-_ **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book Four)

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book Five)

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **SERENITY: A Path Home** (Beauty of Life, Book Six)

You can visit **Amazon** and search for **LAURA ACTON** in Kindle Books to **read the first few chapters** of **each book** with the look inside feature.

Come meet **Daniel** **William Broderick** , Alexandra **'Lexa'** McKenna, **Jon** Hardy, **Nick** Pastore, **Loki** Baldovino, **Bram** De Haven, **Ray** Palomo, **Tia** Walsh, **Brody** Mikhail Hunter and the rest of **your favorite characters** (General Broderick, Yvonne, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Mason, Patch, Winds, Ripsaw, etc.). Delve into a complex world of courageous men and women riding a roller coaster of emotions and danger. Explore the nature of relationships and bonds developed, tested, and strengthened in the face of adversity as they seek to find the beauty of life.

If you like all the details, twists, turns, and connections of my fanfiction – then you'll love the books — they're filled with them.

If you're a JAM fan become a LAN fan – come fall in love with Dan and Lexa. Their relationship has all the passion of JAM with a new exciting and hot way they first meet. Their relationship has a surprising beginning that turns into a slow burning build of their soulmate connection—it's quite a ride.

If you love the Team, the General, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Patch, Winds, Mason, and the rest of the cast of characters, you should enjoy the new Beauty of Life series—they get more time than before.


	12. Wordy Listens

**Wordy Listens**

* * *

This is a tiny taste of new content that you will find in Chapter 17 of the fifth published book in my Beauty of Life series, **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire.**

* **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book Five) **is available on Amazon**. (Note: paperback version is delayed for a few days due to an error.)

Book Description:  
Happy to be back with his TRF team, Dan Broderick is pulled away yet again. He must relive his path through purgatory. Dan's testimony of his years in Special Forces is critical to the court-martial of Plouffe, Pletcher, and many others. Can he defy the odds and find the strength to persevere in the face of impossible obstacles?

Walk with Dan as the flaming fingers of hellfire, twisted and bent by the depravity of humanity, work to bring him down.

Do those flames also illuminate the best in humankind and forge lifelong bonds or lay waste to friendships?

Will Dan ever be able to rise from the ashes and experience the beauty of life?

 **SETTING FOR THIS SCENE** : In the published Beauty of Life world, Dan (Sam) spends nearly three weeks rehashing all of his SF time. It is very difficult for him and he finds himself at one point reaching out to Bram (Wordy) for help in coping. This is set after he finished detailing the unit plane crash.

 **Enjoy this little sneak peek of PURGATORY**. - Note, I've changed the names from Dan to Sam and Bram to Wordy (and the other characters too) since this is FP fanfiction site.

* * *

November 22  
CFB Borden – General's Quarters – Sam's Room 2:30 a.m.

Sam flung himself back and forth as his arms flailed fighting the phantoms generated in his mind. His sheets drenched in sweat and twisted around his legs trapping them. He jerked hard to the right. His body landed with a thump on the floor waking him.

He lay on the ground as his breathing started to slow. Sam stared at the ceiling and waited. Did he cry out? If so, his father would be rushing into the room any moment now. All remained quiet.

Sitting up, Sam fought to unravel the sheets from his legs. He leaned his back against the bed as his mind rewound the dream. It wasn't a nightmare, well at least not a nightmare he normally had. This one was weird and left him feeling rather unsettled.

He bit his lower lip as he raked a hand through his hair. Sam needed to talk to someone. His hand reached for his phone and pressed the familiar number before he thought about the time of day. The phone rang five times before being answered with a groggy hello. Sam glanced at the clock. Two thirty in the morning. _Crap!_

Guilt assailed Sam as he said, "Sorry to wake you. I'll just hang up."

"Wait, don't. Are you alright?" Wordy said as he squinted at the clock trying to focus his sleepy eyes. Two thirty in the morning. Sam never called at this hour unless it was important—typically a nightmare.

Sam sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah. No. I don't know."

Wordy scooted out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen so he wouldn't wake Shel. "I'm listening."

The dead air on the line lasted several minutes. Sam heard sounds in the background. Wordy was making instant coffee like he usually did when Sam called in the middle of the night. Something he rarely did, but every time he did, Wordy was there for him. And if all they did was remain silently on the line together, Wordy never once made him feel weak for calling.

"I had a weird dream."

"Weird how?" Wordy poured a bit of milk into his coffee then sat at the kitchen table and took a sip.

"Mixed up."

Wordy waited for Sam to expound on what weird and mixed up meant. He was glad Sam called. Wordy was concerned about him. He and Ed talked earlier today, and Ed worried Sam would have a rough time if he recounted some of the details he overheard in the hospital. Ed wouldn't expand on what troubled him, but if Ed was bothered and Sam was calling, then he needed to offer a friendly ear.

"It's stupid really. My unit. Matt, Blaze, Mason, Winds, Patch, and Ripsaw were all wrapped up in the coils of huge plaid python which stopped them from reaching me. The python's head looked like Plouffe. Pink panthers surrounded me. One had the face of Murphy and one …" Sam trailed off.

He didn't have a name for the other face, though the image was etched deeply in his psyche. The face of the man who tortured him with red-hot needles. The One who broke him repeatedly.

Sam blew out a breath. "They kept biting and clawing at me. Four penguins wearing Toronto police uniforms showed up. Instead of helping me they encouraged the panthers and called me names. One was extremely fat. It waddled over and sat on my chest. I thought I would suffocate—it was hard to breathe." Sam stopped. He couldn't believe he was telling Wordy all this.

Wordy listened intently. This was weird, but dreams usually had some basis. Something the subconscious mind tried to sort out.

"You can't tell anyone the next part."

"I never disclose what you share with me, Sam. This time is no different."

Sam worried his lower lip for several minutes. "Okay. Don't laugh."

"I won't." Wordy muted his phone just in case he laughed.

"Well, this pack of six gray elephants charged in. One huge elephant had your face, and a small one had Jules's. And yeah, all the others were, the Boss, Ed, Spike, and Lou. Spike's elephant had a shock of black hair flopping in his eyes."

Wordy chuckled and was damned glad he muted. Sam had a wild imagination. Pythons, panthers, and penguins, oh my. Now the team as elephants. Sam's mind must be trying to work out something significant.

Sam waited for a moment listening for Wordy's laugh. When it didn't happen, he relaxed a little. Wordy was always safe. He continued, "The elephants stomped on the penguins, and the Ed and Jules elephants ran their tusks through the Murphy panther. Next, the elephants pulled the python off my unit. The guys slaughtered all the remaining cats except one who ran away."

He didn't explain that the one who got away was The One. Wordy wouldn't understand, and he couldn't explain. "My back was all cut up. Then things changed, and I was in the hospital in Afghanistan. God, I hate hospitals. Anyway, it seemed so real. My back hurt badly. Spasm after spasm gripped my back and suddenly my father was there rubbing my back and whispering words of comfort.

"Then the Plouffe python reappeared and tried to squeeze the life out of my dad. While a parrot with Merrill's face sat on a perch and continually said, collect a blond bobblehead." Sam bounced the back of his head on the mattress in frustration. "All mixed up. Weird. Don't know what the dream means. Never had one like it before."

Wordy thought a moment as he unmuted his phone. "Lots of imagery in there. Plouffe represented by a snake makes sense. Murphy as a panther too. From what you shared in the past, Murphy attacked you before the terrorist's captured you. I have no clue about the penguins. Maybe it had to do with the officers who took you into custody after the bank robbery before you joined the team.

"As for the elephants, Ed and Jules both shot Murphy, and the team uncovered Plouffe's crimes. Remember the night you fell into the elephant enclosure at the zoo during training? You told me you felt safe when the mother elephant wrapped her trunk around you. Perhaps your mind put the team and the elephants together because both make you feel like you belong.

"And your father comforting you could be your subconscious reinforcing to you that he cares about you and is here for you now. You are under a lot of stress with this interview. This could be your mind's way of processing everything and reminding you that many people care for you."

Sam stared up at the ceiling. He exhaled heavily as his body relaxed more. Wordy's explanation made some sense out of his dream. "Sorry I called so early, but thanks for listening. It helped to talk about it." Sam yawned as more of his anxiety drained away.

Wordy caught the yawn. He was glad Sam called, and he could help. "You can call me anytime. Think you can sleep now?"

Sam rose from the floor and sat on the bed. "Yeah, thanks. Say hi to everyone for me."

"Will do. Are you still coming to the picnic? Allie will be devastated if you don't come." Wordy stood and ambled towards the stairs.

"No place I'd rather be. See you then." Sam hung up, lay down, and thought weird dream.

.

* * *

The **Beauty of Life series** takes my original fanfiction stories and revamps them—with **tons of new content** and **expanded storylines** while still keeping the same heart and familiar feel of my fanfiction stories.

The first FIVE books in my **Beauty of Life series** are **available** as **ebooks** or **paperbacks** on **Amazon** — **just search for Laura Acton** in books.

 _If you don't have a Kindle—no problem—just download Amazon's free reader app—it works on phones, tablets, and computers_.

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read them for FREE, too. And I think Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Kindle Unlimited (where available) which is even better for you if you want to read all of them in one month :)

 **Beauty of Life series**

 **\- FORSAKEN: On the Edge of Oblivion** (Beauty of Life, Book One)

 **\- SOLACE: Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book Two)

 **\- BELONGING: Hope, Truth, and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book Three)

 _-_ **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book Four)

 _-_ **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book Five) - **PUBLISHED 9/22/17** (may not show up in Amazon for 72 hours)

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **SERENITY: A Path Home** (Beauty of Life, Book Six)

You can visit **Amazon** and search for **LAURA ACTON** in Kindle Books to **read the first few chapters** of **each book** with the look inside feature.

Come meet **Daniel** **William Broderick** , Alexandra **'Lexa'** McKenna, **Jon** Hardy, **Nick** Pastore, **Loki** Baldovino, **Bram** De Haven, **Ray** Palomo, **Tia** Walsh, **Brody** Mikhail Hunter and the rest of **your favorite characters** (General Broderick, Yvonne, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Mason, Patch, Winds, Ripsaw, etc.). Delve into a complex world of courageous men and women riding a roller coaster of emotions and danger. Explore the nature of relationships and bonds developed, tested, and strengthened in the face of adversity as they seek to find the beauty of life.

If you like all the details, twists, turns, and connections of my fanfiction – then you'll love the books — they're filled with them.

If you're a JAM fan become a LAN fan – come fall in love with Dan and Lexa. Their relationship has all the passion of JAM with a new exciting and hot way they first meet. Their relationship has a surprising beginning that turns into a slow burning build of their soulmate connection—it's quite a ride.

If you love the Team, the General, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Patch, Winds, Mason, and the rest of the cast of characters, you should enjoy the new Beauty of Life series—they get more time than before.


	13. Two Left Feet or The Waltz

_**Two Left Feet or The Waltz**_

* * *

I'm diligently working on the sixth novel in my published version of my Beauty of Life series, **SERENITY: A Path Home.** I'm hoping to release it in early to mid-December.

This is a tiny taste of new content that will be in Chapter 29 of SERENITY.

 **SETTING:** SRU Christmas Party for the Second Christmas. (the difference between the published series and FP one is that Dan and Lexa (Sam/Jules) are secretly dating in the published one and broken up in the FP version. This works either way though. Ignore any other minor differences as this is based/written for the published version and must be different.

* * *

 _ **Swan Lake Hotel – Ballroom – 11:15 p.m.**_

Spirits flowed, and dance music blared as the party was in full swing. The dance floor remained packed as the men and women of SRU, and their guests now relaxed and having a grand time.

Sam kicked back in his chair with a cold beer and observed everyone dancing. So far he resisted all efforts to get him out on the floor. A dancer he was not. The two official balls he was required to attend for graduation from MP training and for SF training, he and Matt had snuck out of after making the requisite appearance. They ended up at bars playing darts.

In hindsight, he shouldn't have made such a big deal about going to them. Matt liked dancing, but as a true brother, Matt didn't force him to stay at a function where Sam felt awkward and out of place. Growing up at the SFTB Yukon afforded him no opportunities to learn to dance. Being a remote Special Forces training base, it typically lacked women. Sure, there were a few women, but usually in the support staff capacity. And if there were ever a dance, which there wasn't, the women would've danced with the soldiers, not him.

There was only one time he was forced to dance, his Guardian mission in Makhachkala. He sucked then, and he still sucked now. He was done making a fool of himself—a dunking in the pool was enough. Taking the last swig of his third beer of the evening, Sam stood to go grab another and glanced at those still at the table. "Anyone want something from the bar?"

"I'll take another ginger ale," Greg responded.

"Beer for me," Ed requested.

Sam waited to see if Sophie or Christiana wanted something. Both shook their heads. He started for the bar when Shelley stopped him.

Shelley gripped Sam's hand. "Come on, Sam. I've requested a special song just for you."

Sam stared at Shelley like she had two heads. "I don't dance."

"Anyone can line dance to a country song, even Wordy."

Coming up behind Shelley, Wordy snorted. "Hey, not cool. At least I'm out there trying."

Flashing a smile at her husband, Shelley said, "And doing very well." Then she tugged on Sam's arm. "Just one dance."

Sam rolled his eyes but maintained a pleasant smile. The ladies had hounded him to dance tonight, everyone except Jules. "No."

Spike bopped over and grabbed Sam's other arm as he batted his eyelashes at Sam. "Team-date, please dance with me."

Sam couldn't hold back the laugh, nor could Shelley and Wordy at Spike's outlandish behavior.

Sauntering up with Lou, Maurita said, "Pretty please. I'll help you."

As the country song started, Sam found himself dragged onto the dance floor by Shelley, Wordy, Spike, Maurita, and Lou. There was no escape. He was surrounded by all of them as Jules appeared on his left and Shelley on his right.

"Just follow us," Jules instructed with a bright smile.

Sam looked down at their feet as they all began to move. He had to step with them as the group shifted side to side and front and back. Sam tried in vain to emulate the moves, but he was clumsy and his motions entirely out of step with the others. Everyone called out encouraging comments and confusing instructions to him.

He started laughing as he stepped on Spike's foot and Spike hopped around shouting that he was crippled for life. "Serves you right, team-date. Told you I couldn't dance."

"You just need practice," Jules encouraged. "Ow!"

"Sorry." Sam cringed after stepping on Jules' toes.

"Lots of practice," she muttered under her breath, but loud enough to elicit chuckles from Wordy and Shelley.

Sam massacred the feet of anyone who came near him as he went left when they went right or back when he should go forward. He was pink with embarrassment but after a while figured they deserved the stomped feet for making him prance around. The only saving grace was that he was sock-footed since his shoes were still soaking wet from his dip in the pool.

At the table, Ed chuckled. "He wasn't kidding he can't dance."

Greg wrapped his arm around Christiana's shoulders as he watched the antics on the dance floor.

Christiana leaned in close to Greg. Her voice full of mirth, "Sorry, but I seriously don't think lessons will help him."

Greg squeezed her shoulder and snickered. "He's got two left feet."

Sophie lightly giggled. "Looks like he's marching."

They all laughed. In some ways it did.

Her lips near Ed's ear, Sophie spoke softly, "Wonderful to see Sam so happy."

Nodding, Ed quietly shared his thoughts, "Greg too. Never seen him smile so much at Christmas."

Sophie glanced at Christiana. "She's lovely and right for him. I'm happy he is moving forward now."

"Couldn't agree more." The music changed to a waltz, and Ed stood, offering his hand. "Ready to dance again or do you want to go up to our room?"

"A few more dances. Then alone time with you." Sophie rose, and they walked hand-in-hand to the dancing area.

Relieved the song was over, Sam turned to go to the bar. Now they couldn't bug him anymore. He danced once if what he did could even be called dancing. That was all he was willing to do.

Harriet Holleran stopped in front of Sam. "Will you do me the pleasure of a dance, young man?"

Sam wanted to groan but plastered on a smile. This was his godmother and his commander's wife … he couldn't say no. "My honor, but I'm afraid your feet might not survive."

"You let me worry about that." Harriet then inquired, "Have you ever waltzed?"

"Sort of. When I was little, with my mother. She loved to listen to the Tennessee Waltz and would spin me around the room with her."

Harriet and Sam began a slow waltz, he tried not to trod on her feet and apologized every time he did. Halfway through, Harriet said, "Do you know why your mother liked that song?"

"No."

She smiled. "It was the first song she ever danced with your father at the Majors Ball. That night they fell in love. Your mother was so radiant that evening. Your father was quite debonair too. Lovely watching the two of them glide across the floor."

"Wow, I never knew that. Oh, sorry." Sam moved his foot off her toes. "Guess I missed out on the dancing gene."

Giggling, Harriet divulged, "Your father only waltzes. He had to learn at the military academy. With practice, you could be as smooth on your feet as him. Ladies love a man who can waltz."

When the song ended, Sam was feeling rather good. Harriet put him at ease and gifted him with a story of his parents. "Thank you, ma'am," he said as he escorted her back to his godfather.

Norm took his wife's hand and smiled at Sam. "Enjoying your evening?"

"Yes, sir. Quite a party. Can I bring you something from the bar?"

"No thank you. I believe we are heading home shortly. Have a wonderful rest of your night," Harriet answered.

"I will. Thanks again for the waltz." Sam inclined his head to the commander. "Good night, sir."

"Evening," Norm replied. He tucked Harriet's arm in the crook of his as she gathered her purse. Tonight had been superb with one tiny exception, Mr. Bewick.

Sam turned and ambled away from his godparents. He had to keep it on a formal basis with them at a SRU function. So far there had been no backlash when the team found out about their affiliation. Many things were different at SRU versus the military. For that he was grateful.

He nearly made it to the bar before he was waylaid again and dragged back to the dancing pond. Ah hell, just let loose and have fun, Braddock. You might look like an idiot out there, but it's okay, you're with family, and they accept you.

An hour later, the ballroom filled with far fewer people, couples having gone to their rooms or headed home, leaving mostly the single officers, the DJ called out, "Last dance," and started a gentle waltz.

Jules tugged on Spike's hand. "Dance with me then we can grab the cab as we discussed."

Spike shook his head. "My feet ache."

"Come on. Last one." Jules begged, secretly desiring to ask Sam instead of Spike. Though, she refrained from doing so, unsure how either of them would react if they held one another intimately.

"You danced with me three songs tonight. Take Sam. You haven't danced one with him yet. He won't murder your feet as bad on a slow song as he does on the fast ones."

Sam snorted. "You guys are the ones who kept pulling me out there. Mangled feet are the price to pay." He stood, now or never. Sam wanted to hold Jules close all night. A dance would be a great cover.

Bowing at the waist, but keeping his eyes on Jules, Sam said, "May I have the honor of this waltz, m'lady?"

Jules gave in and curtsied. "My pleasure, sir."

Sam led Jules onto the floor. He pulled her into his arms, and they began waltzing. Their rhythm natural, as if they had danced together forever, Sam found his feet light and sure, never threating to land on Jules's toes. They spun around the almost empty floor, their eyes locked together as the world around them faded away. The only part of reality to make itself known to them were the romantic strains of the Tennessee Waltz.

.

* * *

The **Beauty of Life series** takes my original fanfiction stories and revamps them—with **tons of new content** and **expanded storylines** while still keeping the same heart and familiar feel of my fanfiction stories.

The first FIVE books in my **Beauty of Life series** are **available** as **ebooks** or **paperbacks** on **Amazon** — **just search for Laura Acton** in books.

 _If you don't have a Kindle—no problem—just download Amazon's free reader app—it works on phones, tablets, and computers_.

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read them for FREE, too. And I think Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Kindle Unlimited (where available) which is even better for you if you want to read all of them in one month :)

 **Beauty of Life series**

 **\- FORSAKEN: On the Edge of Oblivion** (Beauty of Life, Book One)

 **\- SOLACE: Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book Two)

 **\- BELONGING: Hope, Truth, and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book Three)

 _-_ **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book Four)

 _-_ **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book Five)

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **SERENITY: A Path Home** (Beauty of Life, Book Six)

You can visit **Amazon** and search for **LAURA ACTON** in Kindle Books to **read the first few chapters** of **each book** with the look inside feature.

Come meet **Daniel** **Broderick** , Alexandra **'Lexa'** McKenna, **Jon** Hardy, **Nick** Pastore, **Loki** Baldovino, **Bram** De Haven, **Ray** Palomo, **Tia** Walsh, **Brody** Mikhail Hunter and the rest of **your favorite characters** (General Broderick, Yvonne, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Mason, Patch, Winds, Ripsaw, etc.). Delve into a complex world of courageous men and women riding a roller coaster of emotions and danger. Explore the nature of relationships and bonds developed, tested, and strengthened in the face of adversity as they seek to find the beauty of life.

If you like all the details, twists, turns, and connections of my fanfiction – then you'll love the books — they're filled with them.

If you're a JAM fan become a LAN fan – come fall in love with Dan and Lexa. Their relationship has all the passion of JAM with a new exciting and hot way they first meet. Their relationship has a surprising beginning that turns into a slow burning build of their soulmate connection—it's quite a ride.

If you love the Team, the General, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Patch, Winds, Mason, and the rest of the cast of characters, you should enjoy the new Beauty of Life series—they get more time than before.


	14. Doing Right Doesn't Mean We Feel Right

**Doing Right Doesn't Mean We Get To Feel Right**

* * *

 **SETTING:** Sam and Jules married after Sadie is born.

* * *

 _ **Braddock Home – 1:20 a.m.**_

Sam's steps were sluggish as he trod up the stairs. Halfway up he stopped and drew in a ragged breath. He raked his fingers through his hair, leaned on the wall, and bowed his head. Another ragged breath in and he forced himself to lift his foot and take the remaining steps.

Reaching the top, he shuffled down the hall towards their room on autopilot. Something halted him before he arrived though all he wanted to do was fall into bed and escape into oblivion. His hand reached out for the knob, and he turned it before he could stop himself. The door swung open, and he stared inside.

His ragged breathing hitched as his eyes landed on the crib. A sob emitted before he could silence it. Once expelled, others followed. Sam's feet moved him into the room. Tears dripped freely as the welled liquid blurred his vision.

He reached the crib and gazed at the bunny sheets. Jules found sheets with yellow bunnies after he shared the story of Sara's favorite toy. His hand reached out … it shook as he brushed the empty bed. His heart ached, and grief overwhelmed him as he crumbled to the floor of Sadie's room. Sobs wracked his body.

Sam had no idea how long he cried but slowly became aware of a hand drawing light circles on his back. He inhaled deeply taking in the scent of jasmine mixed with baby powder. Sam gradually lifted his eyes meeting Jules' compassionate brown orbs.

They held each other's gaze as he communicated his pain silently. No words were needed, she understood him, shared his pain, stood solidly for him when he could no longer bear his burdens.

Jules moved her hand to Sam's face and caressed gently. "Ed called." Sam's floodgates opened again, and Jules shifted Sadie into Sam's arms and wrapped him in hers. She didn't offer platitudes that held no meaning. She only embraced him showing him she loved him with all her heart.

Cradling Sadie, her pure scent filling him, Sam slowly regained a minute amount of control. He peered down into the innocent brown eyes of his three-month-old daughter who stared at him with complete trust. He drew in another shaky breath. "I'm a monster, but she looks at me …"

"Shhhh. You are not." Jules' eyes welled with tears.

His pain-filled eyes shifted to Jules. "I am. I took the shot."

Thumbing away the tears still running down Sam's face, Jules found it difficult to speak past the lump in her throat. Sam's pain was her pain—their connection soul deep. "You did your job. You did the right thing. How many others would be dead tonight if you hadn't?"

Rocking with pain Sam bit his lower lip to keep from screaming.

"She had a bomb. She planned to detonate it. A suicide bomber. You had no choice." Jules stroked through Sam's hair.

His voice gravelly, he croaked out, "She was eight months pregnant. I killed an innocent baby."

Jules lifted his chin to meet his eyes. "No. The subject did that. She chose to strap on that bomb. No one forced her. Her choice. Your action saved your team and all five of her other children."

"They had to witness their mother die. I was twenty feet from her. Their screams. The way they looked at me. I'm a monster." Sam broke down again as sobs racked his body.

Sam saved so many tonight, but it would be the one he couldn't save who would haunt him for a long time. An innocent unborn child the victim of a deranged, suicidal mother who planned on killing as many people as she could when she died. Ed's call had given her the details, but nothing could adequately prepare her for the rip in Sam's soul. Doing right didn't mean they got to feel right.

Jules pulled him close. Her own tears spilled out. She would hold him and help him come to terms with what he had to do tonight. It wouldn't be easy or quick, and Sam may never fully release his pain and guilt, but she would always be here for him. Always!

.

* * *

A/N: Not the usual fare in this series, but I think it still fits ... Jules is there for Sam in this darkest hour.

Working hard on SERENITY: A Path Home. Hope to have it published in early/mid-December. Currently, on chapter 55, the sixth novel will be about as long as PURGATORY which is 580 pages. Tons of new content. With as dark as Purgatory was, Serenity is light and will have a Christmas theme.


	15. Passionate Welcome Home

**Passionate Welcome Home**

* * *

This is a tiny taste of new content you will find in Chapter 1 of the sixth published book in my Beauty of Life series, **SERENITY: A Path Home.**

* **SERENITY: A Path Home** (Beauty of Life, Book Six) **is available now on Amazon** along with the other five books. **Search for Laura Acton to find all six books** (the ebook version is available now and the paperback version will be available within the next 72 hours.)

 **Get your copy of SERENITY today and stroll down a path with Daniel Broderick.**

Dan Broderick returns to Alpha Team twelve days before Christmas after recovering from a near-fatal wound. Unlike last year, Dan has real plans for the holidays … but does he possess the serenity, courage, and wisdom to find a path home?

For Dan, the hardest obstacle to **serenity** is leaving his agonizing past behind. Can he accept the truth and allow light to dispel lingering shadows, bringing joy to his family?

He has found his purpose, his family, and his beauty of life. Do Lexa and Dan have the **courage** to trust one another and risk all to be together?

Will a well-intentioned gift destroy him or provide him with **wisdom** to begin healing and strengthening his fragile soul?

* * *

 **SETTING FOR THIS SCENE:** In the published Beauty of Life world, Dan (Sam) spends nearly three weeks rehashing all of his Special Forces time (for the investigation to court-martial Plouffe and others) before returning to Toronto and rejoining the team after recovering from his near-fatal gunshot wound to the chest. Sam's and Jules' relationship is in the beginning stages (friends with benefits and secret). This is AU for Flashpoint canon but is canon for my published version of Beauty of Life story of Dan and Lexa.

 **Enjoy this little sneak peek of SERENITY**.

* * *

 _ **December 11**_  
 _ **Jules' Home – Front Porch – 6:10 p.m.**_

Soaking wet, icy rainwater dripping down his face, Sam Braddock's WOW smile began to falter. Jules gaped at him, her eyes wide with shock, fear, and concern. The fear troubled him. _Maybe one of the team, like Spike is here. That would be bad. How will I explain why I showed up?_

"Um, okay. Not such a smart idea." Sam turned to leave and noticed the taxi had already gone even though he asked the driver to wait in case Jules wasn't home. _Crap!_

Jules Callaghan shook herself out of her mental stupor. "Wait!"

Sam took a breath before swiveling his head. "Sorry, I should've called. If you don't mind, I'll just wait here and call another cab."

Stepping out on her covered porch, right into a puddle of cold water, Jules groaned. She shivered as the wind shifted long enough to wet her sweater with a blast of freezing rain. She moved out of the water, her soggy socks leaving footprints on the concrete. A chill seeped in quickly from the soles of her feet. Jules touched Sam's arm. "It's freezing. You can't stay out here. Come inside before you catch your death. With your lungs …" she trailed off as Sam's sapphire blue eyes flashed and hardened like an iceberg.

 _Crap, I shouldn't have mentioned his lungs. Touchy subject. But I'm right! It is too cold out here for him, especially when he is stupid enough not to be wearing a jacket and allowed himself to get soaked._

Sam bristled at Jules' remark. _I'm no different than before I got shot. Sure it's cold, but nothing like the cold where I grew up. The Yukon makes this weather seem like a balmy day at the beach._

"No, I'll—" Sam stopped abruptly when two women appeared in Jules' doorway, clutching throw blankets around themselves and carrying glasses of wine.

Hailey and Amy reached the door, wondering why Jules remained outside in the storm. Both stared at the blond man standing at her entrance, instantly recognizing him from all the news reports.

Amy said, "Jules, what are you doing outside?"

At the same time, Hailey said, "Jules, he's soaking wet and going to freeze to death. Why don't you bring him inside where it is warm?"

Her brown eyes went soft with concern but retained a flash of irritation. Jules pulled on Sam's arm. "Come in, Sam."

 _No way of getting out of this. More questions would be asked if I refuse._ Sam turned and reluctantly followed Jules into her home.

* * *

 _ **Jules' Home – Entryway – 6:12 p.m.**_

"So what brings you out in such horrible weather?" Hailey asked as she nudged Amy. Both detected Jules' discomfiture, but didn't quite understand if it was because she still didn't like the guy or was perturbed he interrupted girl's night out … err, in this weather, turned night in.

Sam stood in the entryway, glad for a tile floor instead of wood or carpet as he dripped. He scrambled for a plausible reason and came up with a lame one. "I just flew in and wanted to deliver some cookies my mom made for Jules." Sam dropped his duffle bag then shrugged off his backpack. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a baggie of double-double chocolate chunk cookies.

Amy chuckled. "Did you fly with or without a plane? You're shivering."

As he held out the cookies to Jules, he noted his hand did shake a bit. He would blame the cold, but actually being near Jules had his adrenaline pumping. The ever-present desire to pull her to him, ravage her mouth, and make love to her caused his body to shiver.

Jules took the baggie. "Thanks. Why would your mom make me cookies?"

As the three women stared at him, Sam realized he sucked at this. "Um, well they are sorta my Christmas present to the team. Remember the conversation about desserts after you made me the shake?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I didn't …" Sam wiped the dripping rain from his face. "Didn't really know if the team exchanged gifts, so I thought cookies might be a good compromise. I spent a few days with my mom, and she was willing to help me. Otherwise, they would've been store bought and not as tasty."

Hailey chuckled. "How could you not know if they gave each other gifts. You were here last year. I remember Jules—" An elbow in her ribs shut Hailey up. She blushed when she realized she was about to say, _Jules complained about you standing around waiting to be told what to do._

Sam caught Jules' move and wondered what the woman was about to say.

Jules took control of the situation. "Sam, these are my friends Hailey," she waved to the blonde, "and Amy," Jules motioned toward the brunette. "We were about to have dinner. Would you like to join us?"

The aroma of something Italian wafted to Sam. He felt hungry but shook his head. "Nah, I'll call a cab and go. Sorry to intrude. Didn't realize the taxi would drive off without me. I asked him to wait."

"Oh, Jules, you can't let him leave." Amy moved in closer. "Come on, Sam, please stay."

Sam wiped his dripping hair again. "I'm soaked. I should go."

Hailey eyed the travel bag. "I bet you have a change of clothes in there, something drier at least. We've met all Jules' teammates except you. Stay for dinner. You can tell us all the things Jules leaves out of her stories."

Jules reached down for Sam's go bag. He was too wet, and he would catch a cold if he didn't put on something warm and dry. Getting sick with his lungs would be a bad thing whether he realized it or not. She smiled and said, "The downstairs bathroom is torn apart. The plumbing is shot and it's one of the rooms I need to redo. Follow me upstairs. You can take a warm shower and change before we eat."

As Jules started to move, Sam stared after her. _Huh?_ The one hundred eighty degrees shift confused him.

Stopping on the fourth stair, Jules said, "Move it, Braddock. Don't want you calling out sick tomorrow. Your temporary is gone, and we can't be down a man." Her eyes shifted to her girlfriends. "I'm going to change into dry clothes and grab some fresh towels for Sam. Would you take the lasagna out of the oven and put in the garlic bread?"

"Sure, no problem," Amy said and started for the kitchen.

Hailey winked at Sam. "Well, go on. I promise not to follow you and peek into the shower. Though I will say, I'd love to see your full Monty."

Sam blushed and swiftly headed for the stairs. His rounded surprised eyes met Jules' and saw the merriment in hers.

Jules laughed. "Don't worry, Sam. Hailey likes to be shocking."

"Shocking or not, it is still true." Hailey sauntered away to help Amy with dinner. _Yeah, I sure would like to take a gander at what lies beneath his clothes. Damn glad Jules can't date him. Amy is right. He is a hottie._

* * *

 _ **Jules' Home – Upstairs Guest Bathroom – 6:20 p.m.**_

Sam stripped off his shoes and shirts. He unbuckled his belt but waited for Jules to return with the towels before removing his jeans. He studied his reflection. _What did I get myself into? I should've called. Jules is pissed. Her laugh was unusual. No, it was rather scary._

Jules opened the door to the bathroom, intending just to place towels on the counter. Her gaze caught Sam's in the mirror. Heat flashed between them. It had been three weeks since the last time they were together. She raked his chest with hungry eyes and noticed he was leaner. The interview must've been terrible if he lost weight.

She slipped into the room with two thoughts. First, she needed to wipe away the worried look on Sam's face. Second, she would make sure he took care of himself. A difficult task since he typically maintained a superman invincibility belief in his abilities. That is until he crashed, like with the bronchitis last year.

Sam shivered when Jules entered and closed the door behind her. He heard the snick of the lock too. When she lifted her shirt, displaying her lacy bra, Sam moved forward. That was all the invitation he needed.

Their lips met in a hungry dance, as Jules whispered, "Fast and quiet," as her hands went to his buttons. _God, I love it when he goes commando._

Her sweats and panties came off in one swoop of Sam's hands, and she found herself lifted up against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his hips positioning herself for him. Sam sucked in a stunned breath as his fingers found Jules slick and ready for him. Jules moved his hand before she shifted and claimed his hard length—causing both to moan at their joining.

Their hips began to move in synchronous motions. Slow at first, then rapidly speeding up. Lips crushed together and their tongues plunged in and out at the same rate. Both wanting, needing, what the other could give them. They swallowed soft moans as they crested over the peak together. Shudders wracked their bodies. Sam held Jules securely in his arms as Jules' legs tightened on his torso and her arms clung to his neck.

Jules' eyes captured Sam's. She said in a teasing tone, "Hailey isn't ever gonna see your full Monty," but she meant it too.

Sam chuckled and leaned in for a softer kiss as one hand held her bottom, and the other ran through her silky, wavy, dark brown hair. He pulled back and smiled. "I'm back."

Sighing as Sam lowered her to her feet, missing the intimate connection as her body separated from his, Jules said, "Yes. Yes, you are." She picked up her garments. "Now take your shower and come down for dinner."

"You sure I should stay?" Sam asked as he turned on the water.

"Yeah, but not the night. Have you been home yet?"

"No. Do you mind if I eat and run? Hailey scares me." He winked.

Jules chuckled. "No, that would be best. Keep you out of Hailey's clutches."

Sam gave Jules a WOW smile and stepped into the shower. "Give me five minutes. I'm starving." His stomach confirmed his statement by growling.

"Yeah, sounds angry. Feeding it lasagna will quiet it down."

Sam chuckled as Jules slipped out of the bathroom.

* * *

 _ **Sam's Apartment – 10:00 p.m.**_

He backed away from his desk, picked up his beer, and sat in his black swivel chair. His stereo was tuned to a station which played Christmas songs non-stop from December first until the twenty-sixth. Sam stared at the little live pine tree he purchased at the store across the street.

A smile played on his face as his gaze landed on the three popsicle stick ornaments adorning his very first Christmas tree as an adult. When he and Matt were MPs the base had a tree, and when they were in Special Forces, he was always in the field at Christmas. Holly's snowflake and Lily's tree hung from the branches. Allie's star he perched on the top of the tree. Better than any store-bought ornaments.

Sam pulled out his phone and snapped a picture to show Wordy tomorrow. Excitement for Christmas filled him for the first time since he was eight years old. Though if he had to pick his favorite one, it would be when he was six and learned the truth about Santa Claus and giving.

It was his memories of his sixth Christmas he used to plan this one. Sam would be the one doing the surprising this year. He swiveled back and forth as he contemplated the expression which would be on his parent's faces come Christmas morning.

His mind shifted to the team. He was eager to return to work and put the whole court-martial stuff behind him. Hopefully, Bonomi and Kenric would leave him alone over the holidays. If they wanted any more details before the first of the year, they would need to wait.

Sam glanced at the table and all the baggies of cookies he brought back. With his Ducati still at CFB Borden, he would ride his bicycle to work if the weather permitted. So he must decide who's to take first because he couldn't fit them all in his go bag with his uniforms and gear without crushing them. His eyes landed on the snickerdoodles and made his decision.

Wordy's would be first. His eyes shifted back to his tree and the presents lying next to it on the desk. This time the gifts for Lily, Holly, and Allie would actually be from him. When he went shopping with his mom in Ottawa, he found gifts for them and Clark too.

Mom had a blast shopping for the little girls. She hinted at him that she would like to have grandbabies. She even said that her sister Ann was beating her in the grandbaby department. He sidestepped the discussion by deflecting.

Sam had no idea if what he had with Jules would grow into what he wanted. He was a patient man, must be to become an expert sniper, so he would give her time to decide. Sam finished his beer and headed for bed. Jules' passionate welcome home would sustain him and fill his dreams tonight.

.

* * *

The **Beauty of Life series** takes my original fanfiction stories and revamps them—with **tons of new content** and **expanded storylines** while still keeping the same heart and familiar feel of my fanfiction stories.

The first SIX books in my **Beauty of Life series** are **available** as **ebooks** or **paperbacks** on **Amazon** —just search for **Laura Acton** in books.

 _If you don't have a Kindle—no problem—just download Amazon's free reader app—it works on phones, tablets, and computers_.

If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read them for FREE, too. And I think Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Kindle Unlimited (where available) which is even better for you if you want to read all of them in one month :)

 **Beauty of Life series**

 **\- FORSAKEN: On the Edge of Oblivion** (Beauty of Life, Book One)

 **\- SOLACE: Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book Two)

 **\- BELONGING: Hope, Truth, and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book Three)

 _-_ **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book Four)

 _-_ **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book Five)

 _-_ **SERENITY: A Path Home** (Beauty of Life, Book Six) **- _Published December 11th_**

 _\- Work in Progress:_ **GUARDIANS: Mission to Rescue Innocence** (Beauty of Life, Book Seven)

You can visit **Amazon** and search for **LAURA ACTON** in Kindle Books to **read the first few chapters** of **each book** with the look inside feature.

Come meet **Dan** Broderick, **Lexa** McKenna, **Jon** Hardy, **Nick** Pastore, **Loki** Baldovino, **Bram** De Haven, **Ray** Palomo, **Tia** Walsh, **Brody** Hunter and the rest of **your favorite characters** (General Broderick, Yvonne, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Mason, Patch, Winds, Ripsaw, etc.). Delve into a complex world of courageous men and women riding a roller coaster of emotions and danger. Explore the nature of relationships and bonds developed, tested, and strengthened in the face of adversity as they seek to find the beauty of life.

If you like all the details, twists, turns, and connections of my fanfiction – then you'll love the books — they're filled with them.

If you're a JAM fan become a LAN fan – come fall in love with Dan and Lexa. Their relationship has passion with new excitement and steaminess. Their relationship has a surprising beginning that turns into a slow-burning build of their soulmate connection—it's quite a ride.

If you love the Team, the General, the Broderick cousins, Blaze, Patch, Winds, Mason, and the rest of the cast of characters, you should enjoy the new Beauty of Life series—they get more time than before.


	16. Supersonic Hearing

**Supersonic Hearing**

* * *

I'm diligently working on the seventh novel in my published version of my Beauty of Life series, **GUARDIANS: Mission to Rescue Innocence** , but my muse made me take a small break and write this little one-shot. Sorry but I don't have a release date yet for GUARDIANS, it is about half done. When I do, I will post another little story to let you know.

 **SETTING:** Sam and Spike responding to a swatter call on a rainy day.

* * *

 ** _Ossington Avenue_**

"Help! Help me!" a fearful voice wafted up to Sam as he strode through the pouring rain to the SUV after the fifth swatter call today. They decided to split up to respond to hot calls, so the entire team wasn't jacked up on one side of town if a real call came in. Sam halted and scanned the area.

Spike trotted over, disgust on his face. They broke in on a whole bunch of nothing responding to a call of armed women discussing a killing spree. Well, not nothing, five grandmotherly types all knitting and surprised when the burst in.

He wished there was a way to stop the false calls, especially on days with nasty weather. Each time they went out they ended up soaked to the skin. He opened the SUV door and noticed Sam still outside standing in the rain. "Sam, dude, let's go."

When Sam only stood, his head turning and an expression of concentration on his face, Spike asked, "What's up?"

"I heard something. At least I think I did." When Spike started to speak again, Sam said, "Shhh."

Spike strode around the vehicle to join Sam, his ears straining to pick up any sound over the noise of the raindrops splashing onto the ground. Then he heard it too. A soft fear filled plea for help. His eyes met with Sam's unable to discern where it came from.

Another disembodied cry floated to them and Sam's head whipped to the right, narrowing in on the direction of the sound. His eyes moved downward toward the drainage grate at the curb. "There! It came from there." Sam rushed forward and dropped to his knees. "Hello, is anyone down there?" Sam called out as he peered into the darkness.

Spike joined Sam pulling out his flashlight and flicking it on. The light revealed a small frightened boy clutching a stuffed cat, with water swirling around his calves.

Surprised by the sight, Sam said, "How did you … hang on little buddy, we'll get you out." He turned to Spike. "He's too far down for me to reach and I'm too big to fit. Can you try?"

Handing Sam the flashlight, Spike flattened himself on the ground and attempted to squeeze through the opening. Frustrated, he pulled back. "No go."

Sitting back on his heels, Sam flicked on his headset. "Winnie, we have a critical situation. A boy about four or five is stuck in a storm drain at our location. The water is rising fast. We need rescue services."

"Copy." Winnie made a quick call to Toronto Fire Services dispatch. When she finished, she reported, "ETA five minutes."

Spike shared a look with Sam, both thinking the same thing. _The boy might not have that long._ _Waiting isn't an option._

"Rappelling gear. We make a loop and drop it down to him and pull him up," Sam said as he stood and jogged to the back of their SUV.

Shining the light on the boy, wanting to calm him, Spike asked, "What's your name?"

"Noah."

"Hi, Noah. I'm Spike, and my partner is Sam. He went to get a rope so we can pull you out. Do you live around here?"

Noah shook his head. "Grandpa's."

"What is your grandpa's name?"

"Grandpa."

"Okay. What is your last name?"

"Worth."

"What is your Mom's or Dad's name?"

"Kelly and David."

Switching on his headset, Spike said, "Winnie, see if you can find a location of a Kelly or David Worth. They would have a son named Noah."

"Copy."

Sam rushed back with the gear prepared. He knelt and as he lowered the rope, he said, "Noah, grab this and put it over your head and under your arms. Once it is in place, I'm going to pull, and it will tighten around your chest. Then we can pull you up."

Noah did as he was told with additional encouragement from both Spike and Sam. Sirens sounded off in the distance as Sam began pulling Noah up. The sirens drew a crowd of people from the surrounding houses. They stood on their porches wondering what the commotion was all about.

Spike reached out and grasped the little boy's hand when he was near the top. As the fire rescue truck stopped, Spike lifted Noah out of the drainage.

Untying the slipknot, Sam released the boy as Spike held him in his lap. "You're safe now."

A woman and two men rushed out of one of the houses across the street, not caring about the rain as the woman shouted, "Noah!"

"Mommy!"

The firemen, parents, and grandfather all converged at the same moment.

Spike gave the boy over to his mother and stood, wearing a huge smile. He patted Sam's back as his partner coiled the rappelling line. "Never thought I'd say this, but thank God for your supersonic hearing. Without it, things could've turned out much differently."

Peering up at the unharmed child being smothered with love, Sam grinned. Moments like these created the beauty of life.

.

* * *

 **The first six novels in the Beauty of Life series are available now on Amazon**. **Search for Laura Acton to find all six books:**

 ** **FORSAKEN:** **On the Edge of Oblivion**** (Beauty of Life, Book 1)  
 **SOLACE:** **Behind the Shield** (Beauty of Life, Book 2)  
 **BELONGING:** **Hope, Truth, and Malice** (Beauty of Life, Book 3)  
 **OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, and Beauty** (Beauty of Life, Book 4)  
 **PURGATORY: Bonds Forged in Hellfire** (Beauty of Life, Book 5)  
 **SERENITY: A Path Home** (Beauty of Life, Book 6)


	17. Right Place, Right Time

**Right Place, Right Time**

* * *

My faithful readers, I wanted to give you a taste from the 8th book in the published Beauty of Life series … **SECRETS**. This little scene will occur somewhere in the book, but it makes for a nice little FOABL chapter to tide you over until the next book is available.

I am still hard at work on the 7th novel, **GUARDIANS: Mission to Rescue Innocence** , Currently on chapter 42. Unfortunately, I still don't have a release date for it … but I expect there to be somewhere between 60 and 70 chapters … depends on where the story goes. GUARDIANS will revamp the second half and complete the story _Rescue of Mst Cpl Sam Braddock_ I posted on Fanfiction … which is on hiatus. It will contain tons of new content, as do all the published books, and you will find out what happens to the bad guys and how the good guys make it back to Kandahar. Like PURGATORY, GUARDIANS will start in the present (picks up where SERENITY ended), go back in time, and return to the present. SECRETS will pick up where GUARDIANS ends.

 **All my books are available on Amazon, search for Laura Acton, to find FORSAKEN, SOLACE, BELONGING, OUTLIER, PURGATORY, and SERENITY.**

Hope you enjoy this little scene.

* * *

 **Setting:** Sam and Jules are secretly dating the first time.

* * *

 _ **Outside Lou's Apartment – 11:55 p.m.**_

Lou locked his vehicle after grabbing the four sacks of left-overs Spike's ma sent home with him. He spent an enjoyable couple of hours with Spike and his mother after being invited to dinner. Mrs. Scarlatti insisted he take more food than he could possibly consume in days when she noted his wrapped hand. She didn't want him to re-injure it by making food.

He could never say no to the lovely lady so accepted gracefully. Perhaps tomorrow he would invite a lady friend over for dinner. Wait, he couldn't. Tomorrow the team was going to the Goose for drinks. With the past few days, everyone except Boss and Jules owed drinks if they applied the rule fairly. Lou approached the courtyard of his complex with a smile. As he walked through the darkened archway he thought, I'm going to have to call maintenance.

At the conclusion of his thought, Lou found himself slammed up against the wall and pinned. The bags of left-overs and his go bag fell to the ground. One of the five masked men said, "Piggies like you deserve to die, but we want you to squirm first. You should never have double-crossed us. We're everywhere, and you'll never know when we're going to strike. Gonna be fun making you watch your precious teammates die first as payback for what you did."

Lou did his best to fend off the blows as the men set upon him. Overpowered, he collapsed to the ground after two solid punches to the jaw were followed by one to his solar plexus and a kick to the back of his knees. The men continued to land vicious hits and kicks to his body.

A shout from a familiar voice stalled the attack for a moment. As three halted their attack, Lou attempted to rise. The face of one man bounced off the pavement next to him, splattering blood as a sickening crunch of cartilage breaking registered in Lou's ears. Gaining his knees, Lou threw a punch, striking one in the groin … given his condition, he wasn't above fighting dirty. A knee to his jaw sent his own head back against the bricks, stunning him. The next few moments were a blur as his vision swam in and out of focus.

He struggled against hands on his torso until the familiar tone of his teammate overrode his fight reflex.

"Hold still. Lou, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you," Sam said as he attempted to hold Lou upright and assess him.

Confusion lit Lou's bloodied face as he blinked to regain his focus. "Sam? What are you doing here?"

"Right place, right time. Couldn't sleep, out for a run." Sam didn't share he was jogging home from an evening with Jules.

"You don't live around here." Squinting, and wrapping his arm around his chest, Lou drew in a painful breath.

Deflecting Lou's thoughts, Sam asked, "Who were those guys? As they ran off, one of them called another Alonzo. Does the name mean anything to you?"

The name Alonzo Nores popped into his head as he recalled the threat after he and Spike witnessed a mugging and the team responded. Nores recognized him and told him he better watch his back. That was so long ago he hadn't given it any thought. Alonzo must be out of jail. Well, shit! How did they find out where I live?

Groaning as he pushed to a standing position, Lou considered whether he should come clean with Sam and the rest of the team about his past.

"Whoa. You're in no condition to be standing." Sam moved to steady Lou. "I'm taking you to the emergency room."

"No. I'm fine." Lou wobbled.

Sam smirked. "Yes, I'm sure you are fine … which means a trip to the ER."

A chuckle escaped Lou, which he instantly regretted as pain lanced through his chest.

"Yep, ER here we come." Wrapping Lou's arm over his shoulder, Sam started them towards the parking lot at a slow pace. "Now, about those guys?"

Allowing Sam to take much of his weight, Lou realized the Blooddrop Crew's threat was real, and his team would be in danger. "Gotta call Boss. I got a bit of a problem."

"You can do that on the way. Where are your keys?"

"Right pocket of my jeans."

Sam retrieved the keys and unlocked Lou's sedan, helped him in the passenger seat, closed the door, and scanned the area again. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as if they were being observed. Striding quickly to the driver's side, he got in and inserted the key. About to turn the ignition a sense of dread ran up his spine.

Leaving the key untouched, he pulled out his phone and dialed. "Hey, Peter, this is Sam. I'm at Lou's place. I need you to send a team now and EMS. Lou was jumped, and I suspect there might be a bomb rigged to his car to go off when turned on."

Lou's eyes popped open. "You what?"

Sam put a hand on Lou's arm. "I also think someone is watching us, but I can't be sure." Sam listened for a moment then said, "Thanks. They need to sweep Lou's apartment too. I'm going to move Lou back to the cover of the courtyard entrance." He hung up and turned to Lou. "Play along when we get out. You've talked me into you being fine, and I'm taking you back to your apartment."

Lou nodded.

Exiting the car, Sam spoke loudly in an exasperated tone as he returned to Lou's side, "Fine, you win. No hospital."

As Lou got out, biting down on the pain and using it to fuel his response, he said, "Hey, you're not the only one who hates hospitals. I don't need to waste my entire night for a few minor bumps."

"Minor my ass. You can barely walk."

"But I'm walking. So I'm fine."

Sam assisted Lou to the archway and carefully lowered him to the ground in a corner, relieved to have him in a relatively safe place. In a soft voice, he said, "Wish I was armed right now."

Lou leaned his head back and grinned. "Thought you were. You have both hands. Aren't they considered lethal weapons?"

Despite his worry, Sam chuckled. "Okay, spill it. Who are those guys?"

Blowing out a breath, Lou shared his secret. "Blooddrop Crew." Lou then told Sam about his youth, about how his childhood friend Esteban Caballero died saving Father Lopez and how the father and the SRU team saved him that same night. How the events changed the direction of his life one hundred and eighty degrees. "No one but Boss knows the full story … well, now you too. Ed and Wordy are aware of my past gang affiliation but not all these details."

Sam listened, and when Lou took a breath and sagged against the wall, he reached out a supportive hand. "Thanks for telling me. I'll keep the particulars to myself."

A long sigh, followed by a moan came from Lou. "Team's gonna need to know. Those guys delivered a message … they want me to suffer. They are going to target the team."

Team Two pulling up stopped the conversation. Sergeant Bradley along with team lead, Doug Starveling, strode over to them. Sam outlined the issue, leaving out details of Lou's acquaintance with his attackers.

After getting Babycakes out of the truck, Curtis Stafford, the team's tech and explosives man, moved the bomb-sniffing robot to Lou's car. "Positive on explosives."

EMS arrived, and Sam grinned as he recognized the lanky form of Jim. His brother would be pleased he wasn't the one needing treatment, but still unhappy Lou had been injured. As Jim and his partner attended Lou and the team took care of searching and securing the area, Sam pulled out his phone.

He wanted to call Jules first to warn her but doing so might let the cat out of the bag on their secret relationship, so he dialed Boss instead. He explained the situation, giving Boss the same line about being out for a run, hating to lie, but not having another option, and attempting to justify it was a partial truth … he had not been sleeping and was running home … so … yeah, it was a lie, and one day it might come back to bite him in the ass.

As Lou was loaded on a gurney, Sam hung up with Boss and said, "He's gonna contact the others. They will all be on alert. He's going to meet us at the hospital, and he said to expect Spike too."

"Mother-hens out in force," Lou groaned but secretly liked the concern of the team.

.

* * *

 _ **Love to hear what you thought of this little piece.**_


End file.
